


Some Kind of Crazy

by BigSciencyBrain



Category: Firefly, Pitch Black (2000)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-04
Updated: 2013-09-03
Packaged: 2017-12-25 13:45:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/953798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigSciencyBrain/pseuds/BigSciencyBrain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Serenity has a job and a passenger willing to pay cash for the transport of a wild animal to New Melbourne. They say curiosity killed the cat and, this time, it just might kill the crew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It's Raining Crocodiles

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline: After the series Firefly, before the movie Serenity. After Pitch Black, before The Chronicles of Riddick. (Dark Fury and Escape from Butcher Bay not included for plot and continuity.)

Even a rainy day on Persephone was a welcome relief from the monotony of the black. Despite being bundled up in one of the Captain's heavy jackets, Kaylee was smiling cheerfully at the crowd. It was a risk coming back to the planet with bounty hunters still nosing about for River and Simon but Badger had promised them a quick and easy job. Since the Captain let Jayne leave Serenity with more than a few weapons, she was pretty sure he didn't expect dealing with Badger to be quick or easy.

Twirling her parasol lazily, she shivered against the cool wind and decided to pass the time by making up histories about the people milling around the docks. She imagined them with families and secrets and grand romances. The slender woman with red hair pulled tightly into a bun might be a princess in disguise who had run away from royal life to follow true love. They were silly fantasies but they helped the time speed along when there weren't nobody looking for transport. She tried to remember when space travel had seemed new and exciting; looking up at the stars and wondering what kind of glamorous life it must be.

Not that she weren't grateful for her place on Serenity. It was a good ship and a family she loved in spite of their faults. Even for all the trouble they seemed to find, she wouldn't trade Serenity for all of Persephone, excepting maybe the dresses.

"Excuse me." A man in dusty gray trousers, matching jacket, and heavy black boots interrupted her thoughts. Coal black hair was slicked back and tied into a tail at the base of his skull; there was something about the way he was standing that reminded Kaylee of the Captain. "I was told that this ship is going to New Melbourne."

"Reckon there'll be a stop or two but she'll get you there if you was looking." Kaylee smiled and twirled her parasol some more. "Just you or you got someone else?"

"I have cargo. Animal transport," he answered emotionlessly.

She frowned as she considered the animal factor. "Might have to check with the Cap'n, he don't much like animals on the ship."

"Just one animal in a cryo sleep chamber."

"Oh, that ain't a problem then. Just as long as you make sure it don't get out. Animal could get hurt roaming about."

He smiled tightly and reached into his jacket pocket, producing a thick fold of money. "I'll pay cash. This should more than cover the price of passage for me and my cargo."

"I'll say." Kaylee's smile widened as she took the money and began counting it. "Bring the critter on in, I'll see you get help securin' it." She tucked the wad of bills into a pocket of her overalls and nearly bounced into the cargo hold. "Book? You there, Shepherd?"

"I'm here, Kaylee." Book looked up from his Bible.

"One passenger already and he's paid cash. Needs help loadin' an animal onto the ship and don't go fretting none, he says it's in one of those fancy chambers."

Book gave her one of his ever-patient smiles and set the Bible down on the crate he'd been using as a bench. "I'll take care of it. Why don't you see if you can snare any more passengers for us?"

Beaming with satisfaction, she hurried back to her deck chair on the ramp and smiled brightly into the rain. The Captain was always glad for passengers who paid cash and didn't seem to mind the cost of transport. She'd already thought of a dozen ways to spend the money when the man returned with his cargo. Book helped him steer the loading pallet up the ramp, unload the chamber, and secure it to the floor of the cargo hold. It was over six feet long and nearly four feet both wide and deep, wrapped up tight in a thick canvas cloth that made the raindrops bead up and stay quivering on the surface.

"What kind of animal needs somethin' that big?" Wide-eyed, Kaylee tried to find a gap in the canvas, hoping for a glimpse inside.

"Crocodile," the man answered tersely.

"I ain't never seen a crocodile."

"They're very dangerous. That's why it's in cryo sleep."

"Wow. Ain't this excitin', Shepherd?" Kaylee was surprised to see the serious look on Book's face. "Oh! I ain't made introductions. This is Shepherd Book and I'm Kaylee. Welcome to Serenity."

"Chen Wa." The man nodded at Book and Kaylee.

"Come with me, I'll show you where you can rest and put your things." Book gave Kaylee a hard look that probably meant she was supposed to stay away from the animal in the box.

"I'll just be waitin' for more passengers," she called after them. Giving the cargo box one more longing look, she returned to her deck chair. How was she supposed to concentrate on the people when there was a real live crocodile on the ship? She wasn't quite sure exactly what a crocodile was but she knew they had been on Earth-that-was and that they were very rare. No wonder Chen Wa was willing to pay so much. She hoped they could stay in New Melbourne long enough for her to see the critter out of the box.

She saw Jayne and the Captain come through the crowd and waved her parasol. The Captain didn't look particularly unhappy so it must have gone well with Badger and that meant they had a job in the works. Jayne looked a mite disgruntled but she supposed Jayne always looked that way.

"I got us a passengers pays cash, Cap'n." She held the money out to him as he came on board. "And he's got a crocodile all frozen in that box over there."

Mal looked at the chamber and a muscle in his jaw twitched. "We don't seem to have much luck with passengers bringing on cargo, Kaylee."

"It ain't nothing the Alliance is after, just a bitty crocodile."

"Bitty? That thing must be the size of man to need all that space." Jayne prodded the chamber with the toe of his boot.

"They's going to New Melbourne just like us."

"That so." Mal stared at the cargo for a second before he seemed to make a decision and turned back to Kaylee. "We got cargo of our own coming soon, gonna take up a good bit of room. Where are the others?"

"Zoe and Simon are still getting supplies, Book is showing our passenger to his bunk, and Inara said she'd be back soon as we sent her a wave." She noticed that Mal twitched at the mention of Inara's name and hoped it was because he'd smartened up about the Companion.

"You wait on the ramp, show Badger the way when he arrives. Jayne, grab a crate. Need to make room."

She hurried back to the ramp to get out of the way and packed up her deck chair, leaning it carefully against the side of the cargo hold. Weren't nobody else out there looking for transport anyway. She watched Jayne and the Captain reorient the cargo, calling out advice if they had trouble getting one of the crates to fit properly.

The rain was coming down something fierce by the time Badger's men arrived with the goods. Six monstrous crates reaching up over Kaylee's head were loaded into the back of Serenity and barely left room for them to walk between them. By the time the last crate was loaded, Zoe and Simon had returned with boxes of their own. Food for the kitchen and medical supplies for doctoring.

"Sir?" Zoe eyed the crates speculatively.

"Agricultural supplies," Mal said over his shoulder as he escorted Badger's men back off of the ship. "Gorram flowers or something."

"Flowers, sir?" Zoe was nearly smiling.

"Can't all be crocodiles." Mal glanced around, one hand on the intercom. "We all accounted for?"

"River?" Simon glanced around and visibly relaxed when he caught sight of his sister surveying the cargo from one of the catwalks.

"Right then. Wash? Send Inara a wave and get us into the air soon as she docks."

"Way ahead of you, Mal. Inara's on her way." Wash's voice echoed through the hold.

"Get those supplies secure, Doc, and make sure that sister of yours don't mess with the box over there." He nodded toward the cryo chamber beside the stairs. "Last thing I need is a gorram yaoguai roaming my ship."

"What are you talking about?" Simon readjusted his grip on the boxes in his arms as he tried to maneuver through the narrow corridor left by the gigantic metal crates.

Kaylee hurried forward to help him. "Passenger transporting a crocodile to New Melbourne. Cap'n don't seem so keen on the idea but I think it's excitin'. A real life crocodile. You ever seen one, Simon?"

"Once." Simon paused to get a better look at the box. "It must be a baby crocodile. Maybe for a zoo."

"A baby?" Jayne scowled at the box. "How big's the gorram thing gonna get?"

"They can be over thirty feet long."

"Why you think it's bound for a zoo?" Mal asked.

"Well, New Melbourne is a fishing city. Why would they want something that eats fish?" Simon seemed to lose interest in the box and headed toward the medical room.

Kaylee shrugged when Mal turned his attention toward her. "Maybe they don't know it eats fish and gets real big. It's just a baby after all. Could be someone wants one as a pet, couldn't it?"

"This passenger you took on…he say anything 'bout where it was going to?"

"Just New Melbourne is all. You ain't mad at me, are you Cap'n?"

"I ain't mad, little Kaylee. We just gotta make sure no one wakes it up." Mal headed up the stairs, stopping when he saw River bending over the railing to peer at the box.

"Not sleeping. Waiting. Knows what it is." She swayed a little, head tilting from side to side as she stared.

"He said it was frozen. Asleep like," Kaylee assured Mal quickly.

River pulled back from the railing and moved down the stairs with deliberate, graceful steps. She reached out to touch the heavy canvas, staring at her fingers, now wet from the rain. "Remembers the rain and the sun. Can't see it anymore. Sees only darkness now. But remembers."

"It just me or is it creepy that she's communing with this crocodilly thing?" Jayne shifted one hand to his holster.

"There's some creepiness but nothing out of the ordinary in that." Mal gave Kaylee another pointed look. "Someone might take to makin' sure she knows not to look inside."

"Don't worry, Cap'n. I won't let nothin' happen to River."

River whirled around suddenly and looked at Mal with wide eyes. "Turn on you like a dog. They put the wrong one in chains. Doesn't care if you live or die, spills blood until there's none left then laps it up like water."

"I think we're all agreed it don't come out to play," Mal told her soothingly. "Why don't we settle in and get this boat in the air?"

Kaylee was pensive as she started toward the engine. River remained beside the chamber, occasionally reaching out to touch it again. "Come on, River. Keep me company?"

River blinked at her a few times before taking a reluctant step, finally looking back at the crate with a touch of sadness before following after Kaylee and staring at the raindrops on her fingers. "Doesn't belong here. Can't cage death, can't chain it up and tie it down. Needs to be free."

The takeoff was uneventful and until they were safely moving through space, Kaylee could focus on the engine rather than River's strange mutterings. Something about the crocodile had caught her attention like a honey trap for flies and she was constantly looking toward the doorway like it was calling her back. Kaylee convinced her to play a game of jacks once Serenity stopped rumbling and the atmosphere was far away.

"Thinks. Doesn't sleep, never sleeps. Thinks about escape. How to get out, to be free. Never is though. Takes the chains with him." River stared at the rubber ball in her hand as though it held all the answers in the verse.

"We got ourselves a boy crocodile?" Kaylee laughed nervously. "That's nice."

"Fell out of the sky like a comet, burned up under lan ri. Darkness had wings and voices but no eyes. Don't need eyes in the black." River closed her hand around the ball.

Kaylee bit her lower lip and wondered if she was supposed to find Simon. He'd said that her medications weren't perfect yet and might need some fixing. It wasn't like the stuff River said usually made sense but this was beginning to make the hair on the back of her neck rise. She was grateful for the distraction when Book's voice came over the comm and called them to dinner.

Taking River's hand, she led her to the kitchen and waved a greeting as they came through the door. Their passenger was already seated and quietly conversing with Jayne about something. With Jayne, it either had to be guns or women since there weren't much else Jayne cared about. It was easy to get lost in the conversation and passing food about the table kept her mind off of any unnerving talk. There was juicy gossip from Persephone and the other planets in the Core as well as the usual bits of news from the planets on the Rim. They paid mind because it sometimes led to jobs they might not otherwise have heard about.

"Mr. Chen." Mal's voice rose above the clamor. "Your cargo bound for a zoo?"

"Wildlife preserve," Chen Wa answered without skipping a beat, his voice completely neutral. "Keeps the dangerous ones out of the system and with their own kind."

"Wasn't aware New Melbourne had a wildlife preserve."

"They don't encourage tourists. Fewer get eaten that way." He finished his protein soup and set the spoon in the bowl gently. "If you have no further questions, Captain."

"You mean other than why you're transportin' a dangerous animal to an outer planet that don't have no need nor desire for such a creature?" Mal's smile made it clear that he wasn't enjoying the idea.

"I'm sure you're aware of the Alliance's restrictions on live animal transport. It would have taken me five times as long to get there had I used proper channels." He stood up slowly, keeping his eyes on Mal. "I need to check on my cargo. The cryo chamber has to be perfectly maintained or I won't have anything to deliver."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Kaylee blurted out, her cheeks turning bright red as everyone turned to stare at her.

"You wantin' to dress it up in a little bonnet if it's a girl?" Jayne bit off a chunk of his apple and shook his head. "They even come in girls? Might be they're one of those things that just make copies of themselves."

"It is a male," Chen Wa answered, his voice was smooth and even but his eyes narrowed a little as he looked at River. He nodded at the group before leaving the room and disappearing around the corner.

"River knew it was a boy." Kaylee turned to Simon with more worry than wonder.

"Stands to reason she would." Mal was chewing thoughtfully and watching River play with her spoon. "She reads people, don't she? Makes sense she'd know animals too."

"Like them cows." Jayne nodded in agreement.

"Don't matter none. We mind our business and Mr. Chen minds his. Our cargo goes to Santo and then we head on to New Melbourne. Don't add no more than a couple days to our journey and it's a job. Can't be choosy."

"Speaking of cargo, my wife tells me we're moving flowers?" Wash glanced around the table.

"More like seeds and girly stuff," Jayne muttered.

"Ain't gonna pass up a job where we're not likely to get shot at. Settlement starting up on Santo needs something to farm, we're bringin' it to them." Mal didn't seem to mind that there was a girly factor to their cargo.

"Doesn't like guns." River stared at her reflection in the spoon. "Blade is quieter, cleaner, more useful. Metal glows in the darkness, makes a sound as it cuts."

"I hope that doesn't apply to us." Wash looked alarmed.

"I'm sorry," Simon apologized quickly and took the spoon from River's hand. "I'm still trying to find the right combination of medications. It may take awhile."

"It's the crocodile got her all worked up," Kaylee said fretfully. "She been saying all sorts of creepifying things 'bout death and it thinking up ways to escape."

"I'd be thinking about escape too if it were me in that box. Ain't nothing wrong with thinkin' long as nobody gets in their heads to open it up." Mal finished his soup and pushed away from the table. "We take turns. If this beast has River worked up then we take extra care she don't try to commune face to face. Don't fancy coming down to find her getting eaten."

"She won't," Simon began.

"You sure about that, Doc? Seems I remember your sister being a mite unpredictable at times. Not always a good thing for her or for the rest of us. Need to be extra careful is all."

"We'll all keep an eye on her, Simon." Inara smiled graciously at River. "It shouldn't be too hard with just one of her."

**

They were quiet when they slept and didn't wander through River's mind like ghosts. Even Serenity slept with circuits breathing deep, one and zero, zero and one. She caught the metal rod that Simon had placed across the door. Rigged to fall if she tried to leave but he never remembered how clever her fingers were. Book was snoring and she could hear heavy silence in the passenger's room.

Passenger. Not what he seemed but slippery, slithering away from her, and his thoughts were quiet like sleep. Recognized her, knew who she was. Wanted the money, the bounty. Wanted to put her in the box with the crocodile and make her sleep. She couldn't sleep. Lying awake with the crocodile and thinking its thoughts, words in her head that weren't hers, whispers and dreams of sunlight. Artificial time was marching and she kept missing seconds. She looked for them under the bed and in the cupboards but never found them. Lost seconds, lost time, and nothing left behind but the echo.

Heavy canvas was rough against her fingers and the rain had long since passed into nothing. Where did the rainbows go? Nimble fingers worked at the knots that kept the box from breathing, tightening around it like a noose and cutting off air. Fabric fell away and there was smooth silver as cold as space. Knobs and buttons. None of them mattered, just a formality. She pressed down.

Click.

Fog rolled out of the box where the lid had rested. Flowed down from the mountain where there was snow and condensation to make the air heavy. She tried to catch it but it slipped through her fingers like the seconds. Jumbled thoughts tumbled in the fog. Thoughts of escape and revenge and murder, blood for blood. Where was he? More distance, more space, had to keep moving.

She saw fingers and arms, wrists shackled and a bit for a horse between his teeth. Not a horse. Sharp teeth but no scales, couldn't be a crocodile. Broad shoulders, well muscled, and a shaven head gleamed dull under Serenity's night-lights. Pants and shirt were black on black, clinging to his skin with icy claws still not warm enough to evaporate. He was shivering, coming in from the cold and out of the black. The eyes stared at her and she knew them from her dreams. Silver eyes that saw her even in the darkness. She backed away as he climbed out of the box, still shackled and shuddering in the night. Was it still night out in the black that never saw day? He was searching for freedom, his night eyes scouring the cargo hold for it.

"Won't find any freedom here," she whispered. "Only walls and darkness. Up and over, round about. Kaylee's never seen a crocodile. Mustn't eat her."

He tipped his head to the side and watched her for a moment before turning toward the stairs that led up and to the engine room. Small steps, chains jingling like bells between his feet. She led him down the corridor. Up and over, round about. She had played jacks here beside the beating heart. Lights were dim, she left them.

Kaylee's tools rattled in their boxes as she sifted through them. One for round and one for square. Shapes and sizes turned in her fingers until they fit and she came back to the crocodile.

"These will do. Not standard, not regulation. Can't follow all the rules." She crouched down and fit the tool against the metal joint on his ankle. "Rules get old and rust away into dust that means nothing. Cease to apply, cease to have meaning. Not relevant." The joint came apart with a snap, she pulled the cuff away from his ankle and started on the next one. "Can't run if they cut off your legs. Don't want you to run. Want you to stand and drown and be a good fish."

The restraints on his wrists gave way to her clever fingers and clever tools. She reached up and locked down on the bit in his mouth. "But you're not a fish, you're a crocodile with teeth and claws."

Once the bit was out, he rubbed his jaw to ease the strained muscles. "Kid, you are some kind of crazy." His voice was low and gravel rough, as though he never spoke enough words to polish it smooth.

"Peas in a pod, we are." She smiled up at him.

"How you figure?" His gaze was moving around the room, taking in details and memorizing the placement of the tools.

"Serenity found us and swallowed us up where they can't see." She pressed her palm lovingly against the wall of the ship.

"Not that I ain't grateful to be out of that box but where the hell am I?"

"Doesn't speak the language, doesn't know our rules. Crocodile belongs far away from here." Reaching out with her other hand, she placed her fingertips gently on his arm just above his elbow. "Skin is warm now, no longer asleep."

"You got a name?"

"River," she answered, still stroking his arm lightly. "Crocodile's name is Riddick."

"Like I said," he caught her fingers, his hand engulfing hers completely. "You're some kind of crazy."

The comm buzzed a warning before Mal's voice echoed through the ship, seething with anger even through the electronic haze. "Would the Doctor please come to the bridge? There seems to be a bit of a problem."

"That the captain?" Riddick tensed.

"Malcolm Reynolds, fought against the Alliance and lost. He knows you're out." She saw him look around for a weapon. "Won't shoot you, thinks you have scales."

"That supposed to be a good thing?"

River shrugged and peered out of the engine room. Footsteps traveled toward the bridge, quick like dancing and heavy like thunder. There were guns moving down the corridor and the man with thoughts like whispers had come awake. Had to wait for them to pass by. She turned back to Riddick and smiled before stepping out and motioning for him to follow, keeping out of the line of sight from the bridge.

Once in the clear, she paused to whisper, "the choir must practice if they're to sing for the assembly. Tenor is always flat, not acceptable, but there's no one else."

"I would end up on the ship with the crazy people," Riddick cursed softly behind her.

"Quick like a cat," she darted through the corridor and down the stairs into the cargo hold, slipping along the side of the wall behind the massive crates of flowers. He barely fit into the space, his back against the hull and chest sliding along the metal. She nodded upward. "Hide under the pillows. Stay quiet. Your anger makes you noisy."

"Whatever you say." Large hands took hold of the edge and he pulled himself up out of the narrow passage.

River scurried around the far end of the crates and back toward the stairs. Footsteps were coming and the guns weren't far behind. Simon was the first to see her standing beside the empty box.

"River! What have you done?" He rushed down the stairs and looked desperately into the box for what wasn't there. Mal thundered down the steps behind him.

"Does no one actually listen to me? I am the Captain. Did I not warn everyone she might try something like this?" Mal fumed, one hand resting on his gun. "Now I got some sorta critter with too many teeth roaming around on my boat. Someone wanna give me an explanation?"

"Actually, it's much worse than that." Chen Wa appeared, slowly loading the rifle in his hands.

"How exactly does it get worse?"

"Thinks like Jayne." River pulled away from Chen Wa. "Follows money, smells it like rotting flesh."

"There something wrong with this girl?" Chen Wa frowned at her.

"A good number of things other than her wantin' a crocodile as a pet but that ain't the matter at hand. Your gorram cargo is loose on my ship, I trust you know how to get it back in its box."

Chen Wa finished loading the rifle and stepped cautiously into the cargo hold, eyes darting about the room. "My cargo wasn't a crocodile. It was an escaped convict. I tracked him across three star systems before I found him on Persephone. Not sure how many people he's killed…could be hundreds. Probably more."

"Another gorram bounty hunter." Jayne eyed the man suspiciously before turning his attention to the cargo hold.

"You mean to tell me that there's a convicted murderer loose on my ship? Gaoyang zhong de guyang, Kaylee!"

"I didn't know, Cap'n. Swear! He told me it was a crocodile!" Kaylee looked to be near tears.

"Why don't you and your crew go back to the bridge? I'll take care of this." Chen Wa glanced into the box. "If you're lucky, he's not already there waiting for you."

"No way I'm gonna hide and risk you blowing holes in my hull. Zoe, take the starboard catwalk, get us a view from up top. Jayne, take the port side. I want whatever was in that box back in there." Mal pulled his gun out the holster, backing up slowly to check the rooms behind him.

"Go back to the bridge, Captain Reynolds. I'll take care of this." Chen Wa edged closer to River. "I'm trained to track these monsters so let me do my job."

"He does have a point, Mal. There's no shame in letting the guy with the big gun do all the work." Wash glanced around nervously.

"There's truth to that, sir." Zoe stopped halfway across the center catwalk. "Can't see anything."

"He can't have gotten far, Captain. Coming out of cryo sleep has an hour recovery time before full mobility returns. You have my word that I won't damage your cargo or your ship," the bounty hunter assured them.

"I don't like this," Mal protested angrily.

"Don't be stupid. You worry about the safety of your crew and I'll worry about my prisoner."

Mal's face turned an unusual shade of red and he muttered a string of curses under his breath before he shoved his gun back into the holster. "Everyone on the bridge! That includes little miss zoo keeper."

River nodded, kept her head bowed so as not to be threatening and trailed after Simon and the others. She turned back to give the cargo hold one last look.

"River?"

"Crocodile is listening, Simon. You'll see." She smiled at the thought before the door closed behind her.

They hurried to the bridge and found Mal pacing back and forth looking about to explode. The muscles in his jaw twitched when River entered the room and she knew he was doing his best not to throttle her.

"Don't suppose it's worth asking what the gorram hell she thought she was doing?" He demanded without interrupting his pacing.

"I'm sure she just wanted a pet," Wash offered helpfully. "Who hasn't wanted a crocodile at some point?"

"Seems to me that if she knew it had male parts then maybe she knew it weren't no crocodile." Jayne frowned when everyone turned to stare at him. "What? Ain't I allowed nothin' insightful round here?"

"It's just so very unexpected." Wash swiveled around in his chair. "Wait a second. Am I the only one noticing a complete lack of Inara in this room? Did someone forget to tell her about the psychotic murderer loose on the ship?"

"She'll be safe in the shuttle, right, sir?" Zoe's furrowed brow contradicted the surety in her voice.

"Provided she don't open the door for strangers." Mal seemed to consider that. "Send her a wave. That way we won't tip him off that she ain't with us."

Wash swung around to face the console and brought up the right screen. "Inara? You there? Might want to think about locking your door. Inara?" They could see her sitting still as a statue on the corner of her bed, never turning toward the screen to acknowledge the wave.

"You don't s'pose she ain't alone, do you?" All color had drained from Kaylee's cheeks.

**

Inara kept her spine and shoulders straight, feet delicately crossed at the ankles as she sat on the end of her bed. The man standing across the room was managing to watch her and the door to the shuttle at the same time. She could hear Wash's voice and see his face out of the corner of her eye. Relief gave her air to breathe. Now they would know she was trapped with what should have been a large reptile. Another look at the man's silver eyes and she wasn't sure Chen Wa had been lying about that part.

"You can relax, I'm no threat you." Her voice was soft and seductive, using her training and skill to attempt putting him at ease. "What's your name?"

"Riddick." The one word answer didn't give her a lot of information and there wasn't any change in his demeanor that would indicate she was having any effect on him whatsoever. He eyed the wave suspiciously but stayed out of range of her transmitter.

"The shuttle doesn't have much of a range and we're days away from any habitable worlds," she informed him conversationally.

"Not looking to run." The low voice fit the intimidating bulk of his frame.

"It's also a dead end. They will find you here. Wouldn't it be easier, and less dangerous, to find out if you and Captain Reynolds can reach a compromise?" She hoped Mal could hear her as well but the wave screen had gone black and silent.

"Malcolm Reynolds, fought against the Alliance and lost." That seemed to amuse him for some reason, the barest of smiles appearing on his lips.

Inara felt her blood run cold. "Did the Alliance send you? Are you one of their assassins?"

"Ain't nobody's anything." He appeared to notice the décor of the room for the first time. "What exactly are you?"

"I'm a registered Companion."

"Companion," he repeated.

She couldn't imagine anyone who didn't know what a Companion was so she assumed he was wondering why she was affiliated with Serenity. "It's an amicable agreement between Captain Reynolds and me. I rent the shuttle, find clients in the cities where Serenity has business, and bring in a little extra money for the ship and the crew." That didn't appear to clear up his confusion, which only added to hers. But it also gave them more time to come rescue her. "What part haven't I made clear?"

He wandered away from the door to peruse some of her perfumes. "Silk sheets, incense. You're some kind of whore?" There was no judgment in his voice and, despite the crass label of her profession, she could tell that he was more confused than anything else.

"I prefer Companion. I've had years of training at the finest school and I'm highly sought after for my skills."

"What kind of fucked up universe did I wake up in?" He sniffed at one of the incense sticks.

"I don't understand."

"How does Captain Reynolds keep you on this bucket of bolts? Woman like you could be with anyone she wants."

"You would think that." She looked down at her hands so he wouldn't see how she felt about the situation. "It's a mutually beneficial arrangement."

He studied her intently with liquid silver eyes. "You're in love with him."

"That's ridiculous," she protested automatically but even she could hear the lack of conviction in her voice. "I'm going to be leaving the ship soon actually."

"Why?" He was getting closer and the proximity was beginning to make her nervous.

"It's time to move on, personal reasons. And you? You must not be from this system if you've never heard of a Companion."

"Been under a rock." He shrugged and continued to wander, touching the silk and satin fabrics with more gentleness than she would have thought possible.

"And now? What do you intend to do now?"

His smile was both enigmatic and frightening before he turned away from her and checked the door again. "At some point a man's gonna come through that door with a gun. Need you to keep your head or you might lose it."

"Are you going to kill him?"

"It's him or me. I won't go back in the box."

She tensed as she heard footsteps outside the shuttle and swallowed hard when he motioned for her to be quiet. For a large man, she was surprised at how well he faded into the shadows, only the shine of his eyes giving him away. The door slid open and her breath caught in her throat as the muzzle of a rifle came through the doorway. At the other end of the gun was the passenger they had taken on in Persephone.

"Quingjin, Mr. Chen. What can I do for you?" She forced herself to smile brightly.

"Seen anything unusual? He's a little over six foot, eyes like a snake." Chen Wa began a slow sweep of the room.

"Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Nothing?" His voice was cold and incredulous. Halfway around the room he stopped to smell her perfumes and turned around with a calculating smile. "I thought you might be one of those fancy whores."

"It's a popular word around here."

"Here I was thinking this was gonna be just a standard prison run." He let the gun swing to his side and hang loosely. "But I found another bounty to collect and a bona fide Companion. All that's left to do is getting rid of that pesky Captain and I've got my own ship."

Inara struggled not to let her alarm show on her face but he looked far too smug for there to be any good in his intentions. Her fists clenched tightly around the fabric of her skirt and she refused to give him the satisfaction of looking in Riddick's direction.

"Imagine my surprise to find River Tam on this ship. Do you have any idea what the Alliance will pay for that little girl? She's worth near as much as Riddick and she'll be easier to deliver."

"She may surprise you." Inara smiled for real this time. "And you may find Captain Reynolds to be a surprise as well."

Chen Wa patted his rifle lightly. "Nothing surprises me anymore. You sit tight, pretty whore. I'll be back for you."

"You'll understand if I don't hold my breath."

He chuckled as he shook his head. "Easy way or the hard way, it's your choice."

"Ain't no way to talk to a lady." Riddick's voice was low and threatening as he stepped out of the shadows. Before Chen Wa could bring the rifle around, something metallic flew through the air and embedded in his neck. Blood spurted out over his hands as he tried to pull it out, choking on the blood filling his throat. Another second and Riddick was in front of him, snapping his neck with a sickening crunch and wrenching the rifle away.

Inara was frozen. She knew there was blood on her face and clothes but couldn't bring herself to move. Numbly, she watched as Riddick set the rifle gently down on the bed beside her and part of her screamed that she should pick it up. She had almost convinced her hands to reach for it when he finished whatever he was doing near the body and came toward her.

"Here." He held out a cloth and one of her small bowls; she saw that it had water in it.

"I'm fine, thank you." Her voice wavered embarrassingly.

"Cause sittin' there covered with that bastard's blood is fine." Slow and easy, as though he was dealing with a wild animal instead of a trained Companion, he reached out and took one of her hands to wipe the blood off. It was thoughtful, if a bit clumsy and far too rough. She had the vague idea that it was more about wanting the blood gone than caring that it was on her skin.

"Have you done this before?"

"Killed my share of people."

"I mean…this." She nodded to her hand and his rather awkward attempts to wash the blood away. Gently, she took the cloth and bowl from him, continuing to clean her hands and arms. That way, she would have some skin left when all the blood was gone.

"Oh. Can't say I have." His voice sounded huskier than before and he didn't quite meet her eyes.

"It's all right." She felt some of the tension ease out of her muscles, deciding it was unlikely that he was planning to kill her.

"You enjoy it? Being whatever it is you are."

"A Companion? It's a worthy profession, timeless. Not all women are allowed the respect that a Companion receives. We choose our clients and we're not misused." She momentarily lost her train of thought, trying to wash away the blood on her face and throat without destroying her carefully applied makeup.

"You're all some kind of crazy on this ship."

"It's a crazy world we live in. But they're good people, every one of them and they've become like family." That made him pause and she wasn't surprised when he changed the subject.

"The girl, River. What's her story?"

"We don't really know much of what happened to her. The Alliance has put a bounty on her and her brother, we don't know why."

"You're a very good liar." Silver eyes met hers unflinchingly.

"And you understand why I'm lying to you."

He nodded once. "Not interested in your secrets, just getting off at the next stop."

"I'm sure that will be agreeable."

The shuttle door burst open and Mal barreled in with gun in hand. Riddick had the rifle leveled at Mal in the blink of an eye and the two eyed each other like bulls across the arena. Zoe and Jayne were behind Mal in case things got out of hand and behind them, Inara could hear the others whispering.

"Let her go and you might just walk away from this," Mal ordered.

"Put down the gun and we'll talk."

Mal's eyes flicked to the dead body of Chen Wa and he shook his head. "Ain't how it works, chou wan ba dan. My ship, I make the rules."

Inara moved herself between the two men, afraid that she and the rest of the crew would get caught in the crossfire if either of them started firing. "Don't be ridiculous, Mal. There's no sense in shooting people. Try to be reasonable. All Riddick wants is safe passage to the next port."

"You know his name?" Wash peered through the shuttle doorway. "Did we miss something? Is it Be Nice to the Serial Killer day?"

"He hasn't tried to kill any of us," she insisted.

"Yet."

"Keep that gun pointed at me and I might change my mind," Riddick growled.

"Will you please try finding a nonviolent solution before you start shooting? This is still my shuttle and I'd rather you not destroy it." She matched Mal's glare, refusing to be intimidated.

"Maybe if he goes back in the box where he belongs, I might be obliging to not puttin' a hole through him." Mal scowled at Inara.

"Ain't gonna happen." Riddick tightened his grip on the gun.

"Then it seems we got ourselves a bit of a problem."

The stalemate was beginning to look as though it would hold forever when River stepped through the doorway behind Mal and surveyed the scene. "Can't shoot him later if you shoot him now."

"Doc!" Mal bellowed. "I thought I told you to keep her on the bridge!"

"I'm sorry, she got away from me." Simon looked more worried by River's proximity to the guns than Mal's anger.

"Anybody else notice she's making a gorram habit of doing just that?" Mal cursed with frustration and he turned his focus back to Riddick. "I got no powerful need to kill you but I don't take to letting convicted murderers roam free around my boat."

"You let Jayne," River commented as she stared down at the dead body.

"Hey!" Jayne spoke up quickly. "Don't be counting me, been bound by law plenty but ain't never stuck around for the jail part."

"Jayne's part of my crew. He ain't." Mal nodded toward Riddick.

"Doesn't want to be. Wants freedom and open space and no more chains." River turned her luminous eyes on Mal. "Crocodile dreams of the sun and the sea and the smell of the rain. Won't kill you 'less he has to, takes no glory in it, doesn't like the taste of blood even drowned in peppermint."

Mal looked back and forth between the Inara and Riddick; a muscle in his jaw twitching as his frown deepened. In one smooth movement, he holstered the gun and folded his arms tightly. "You get off at the next stop and you find a way to make yourself useful 'til then. Starting with getting rid of that body. Any part of that ain't clear and we'll have a problem, otherwise, I got no quarrel with you."

"Sounds fair." Riddick lowered the rifle.

"You got any skills other than killin' people?"

"I'm a fast learner."

Kaylee looked out from behind Jayne's burly arm, her expression one of disgust and annoyance. "You killed him with one of my cotterpin picks? That's treated carbon steel, you know. Now I gotta clean it."


	2. New Age Fox Trot

Simon found River at her favorite haunting place on the catwalk, long hair dangling down through the slots in the metal and one hand dancing through the air beside her. He knelt beside her and stroked her hair tenderly. "Hold still, River." She didn't react to the needle in her arm but it wasn't a surprise; she never did. He wondered if it was because she was too used to being poked and prodded. "How are you feeling?"

She stared up at him through splayed fingers. "The drugs make the ship spin end over end and then I sleep. Not tired but I sleep."

"Some drowsiness is to be expected."

"Captain is still mad at you, wonders why I let the crocodile out." She rolled over and stared out over the cargo hold where Jayne and their new passenger were rearranging the crates to give them more room. The prisoner named Riddick had produced a pair of black goggles that had become a permanent fixture over the past week. Simon had seen his eyes and they were unlike anything he'd encountered.

"If it had been a real crocodile, you would have been in danger."

She looked up at him and pulled a face. "Knew it wasn't, Simon. Heard it whispering."

He looked away when he realized the prisoner was watching them from down below. "River. Tell me why you're not afraid of him."

"Didn't put him in the box, didn't throw him out with the trash. No reason to want my blood in his teeth. Peas in a pod, we are."

"River, listen to me, this is a dangerous man and I need you to be very careful around him." Simon brushed her hair out of her eyes and smiled kindly even though she was missing the obvious fact that serial killers didn't always need a reason. "Will you promise me that you'll be careful?"

"Don't need promises, need truth." Her eyelashes fluttered and she curled up on her side. "Too much night. Can't see out here in the black."

Simon returned the syringe to his medicine bag, making sure that the needle was safely capped and wouldn't bounce around as he walked. In Ariel, he had never thought about the keeping of needles. There were always more to be had once one was used and he never asked where they came from. The sound of boots scraping over metal startled him and he looked up to see Riddick lifting River off of the catwalk.

"Put her down!"

Riddick didn't respond, merely cradled River tighter against his chest and walked away.

"Where are you taking her?" Simon followed after him.

"You want her sleeping up here?" Riddick asked over his shoulder. "Hard drop to the floor if she rolls."

"I can take care of her."

The big man stopped at the foot of the stairs and faced Simon. "Never said you couldn't but the Captain says I'm to make myself useful. Which room's hers?"

"On the right." Simon blinked, unsure of what to do other than follow. He watched like a hawk as Riddick carried River into her room and laid her down on the bed. She never stirred or gave any indication that she was aware of being moved. He reached down and smoothed her hair with unexpected gentleness before turning to leave, finally allowing Simon to move to her side. "She's only seventeen, you know."

Riddick stopped in the doorway and looked back over his shoulder. "You say that like it means something."

"Are your…I don't know what your intentions are."

His jaw tightened visibly and even with his eyes hidden from view, there was unmistakable hostility in his manner. "Another time and place, I'd slit you open for less than what you just said."

"What did I say?" Simon asked, knowing full well what had been insinuated but deciding the pretense of ignorance had suddenly become a survival skill.

"I got no business with your sister other than her letting me out of that box. I repay my debts, good or bad. Remember that." He stalked out of the room and the sound of his boots faded away.

Simon took a deep breath, looking down at his sister and wondering if he was ever going to understand her. He wanted to believe that she'd let Riddick out of the box for more than curiosity's sake; maybe she had felt or recognized that he wasn't as dangerous as he seemed or as the ancient broadcast wave reported.

It had been Wash who followed up on the history of the new passenger by making contact with Mr. Universe; who saw every wave, every transmission, that passed through Alliance territory and maybe even beyond. Communication between neighboring star systems was scarce at best and an alert about one escaped prisoner would be significant. This Riddick, Mr. Universe said, was wanted for more than half a dozen murders and for escaping several maximum-security prisons. There seemed to be no real count of how many people he'd killed.

The price on his head had Jayne going bug eyed and grumbling behind Mal's back. It was Simon's guess that if Mal could find a way to collect the reward without either going to the Alliance or traveling out of the system, he would. Jobs that bordered on legal were getting further apart and harder to come by so they needed the money.

He stayed with River as she slept through a good part of the day. These blank days of deep space travel were all the peace and quiet that their jobs usually weren't. It gave him time to think and for some reason, their passenger's unusual eyes came to mind. There was something vaguely familiar about them. He'd heard about a procedure of chemical coating along the retina but had dismissed it as a myth.

Every question seemed to lead to more questions and Simon wondered if it was even possible for someone without secrets to set foot on Serenity. Still lost in thought, he almost missed the call for food.

"No more secrets," River mumbled, coming awake as the initial results of the medications wore off right on schedule.

"Time to eat, River." He rubbed her arm gently and smiled when her eyes open.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine," she answered, stifling a yawn.

"I think the medication is helping."

She sat up and swung her legs off the bed. "Can't undo what they did or patch up the stitches in my brain. Never going to be a normal girl with perfume and lace on her ankles." Her toes wiggled and made her smile.

"You're going to be fine, River. I promise. Let's go eat."

He kept his hand hovering over her back as they walked to the kitchen. She'd managed to slip away from him twice and he was beginning to wonder if he had any control over her at all. They arrived to find the rest of the crew already there, Mal and Inara embroiled in another one of their arguments.

"You let that bounty hunter sit at our table," Inara insisted.

"He was a paying passenger not a prisoner on the run for killin' people." Mal tried to step around her but she merely followed him.

"That's ridiculous. He's not the only one on this ship who's killed people and you know it. At the very least, you could show him a little human decency."

"Not lookin' for humanity where there ain't none to be found. Thought knowing what a man was capable of was part of your job?" Mal stepped around her again and took his seat. "You worried about the health and comfort of an escaped murderer, you can always take your meal in your shuttle."

River giggled and poked Simon. "Crocodile bites, told you he would."

He wasn't sure precisely what she meant, as usual, and led her to her seat at the table. She studied the utensils before picking them up and using them to prod her food experimentally.

"You know, Mal. 'Nara might be on to somethin'," Jayne said through a mouth of food.

"Aiya, not you too."

"Only time we ain't watching him is when we're all here eatin'. Ain't the smartest plan if'n you know what I mean."

Mal considered that for a moment, looking between Jayne and Inara with an annoyed expression. "I reckon he's got a point. Man could get into a lot of mischief with our backs turned." Inara smiled tightly and left the room, her skirt making the familiar swish of silk on silk and her slippers completely silent against the metal floor.

"Have we flown into some alternate universe where Jayne is right?" Wash glanced around with exaggerated concern.

"Thinks like a crocodile even though he's a bear. Claws and teeth all the same, only difference is the fur." River stabbed at a chunk of potato, holding it up on the end of her fork for inspection. "Knows weapons, guns and knives. Crocodile fought the war like Mal. Lost the battle in the valley, running now. Always running."

"She sayin' this Riddick's a browncoat?" Jayne nearly choked on his stew.

"Could be any number of wars, Jayne. Probably a different star system even." Zoe was watching Mal carefully.

"Made him a monster once the war was buried and hid away in the dust. He didn't have a ship could save him." River bit the potato off of her fork and chewed it slowly. "Should be nicer to crocodile, Mal. Won't be long now, you'll see teeth and scales when you look in the mirror."

"Is it just me or is she getting creepier?" Wash whispered.

"Just might be. River, honey, do you like your stew?" Zoe pushed the plate of bicuits toward River with a taut smile.

The room fell into awkward silence broken only by Jayne's slurping and the clink of metal against ceramic. Book appeared to be absorbed in some form of mediation, his eyes focused steadily on the Bible in front of him. It was impossible not to hear the tread of heavy boots in the corridor leading to the kitchen but everyone tried to feign ignorance as Inara led Riddick into the kitchen.

"The extra chair is a little rickety so be careful with the legs." She motioned toward the chair. "Please join us."

When Riddick gave no sign of sitting down, her smile faltered and she moved to her own chair. He was surprisingly fast for such a large man, reaching out to pull the chair away from the table for her. A muscle in Mal's jaw twitched but he said nothing.

"Thank you. I'm afraid chivalry isn't something I see much of on this ship." Inara sat down gracefully. He didn't answer but moved to the extra chair and sat down. The food circulated slowly, with Inara single-handedly ensuring that the plates reached Riddick.

Mal spoke up suddenly, "Show some respect if you plan on eating at this table. I prefer to look a man in the eye." Riddick reached up and slowly lifted the goggles onto his forehead, silver eyes meeting Mal's.

"I still say that's a neat trick," Jayne said into his bowl.

"Mind sharin' just how it is you got those eyes." Mal had stopped eating, turning the chunk of processed bread over in his hands repeatedly.

"Depends on who's asking," Riddick answered.

"It's a chemical shine, isn't it?" Simon looked up from his soup, avoiding both Mal's and Riddick's gaze. "I thought it was just a story made up to scare the first year residents. The procedure is illegal and less than one percent of the surgeries are successful. Most of the people who have it done end up blind or die of infection."

"What's the reason a man would do that to hisself?" Jayne eyed Riddick with newfound interest.

"I heard that it allows them to see in the dark." Simon finally looked at Riddick and saw no visible emotion on his face. "The chemical coating on the retina increases sensitivity to light. I'm assuming that's why you wear the goggles."

"Do it hurt?" Jayne asked.

Riddick finally spoke. "Ain't pleasant."

"Crocodile remembers the sun on his face. Can't see it now, hasn't seen it for a very long time. Has to hide in darkness, no more rainbows." River was smiling brightly and dragging her spoon along an imaginary rainbow. Her words didn't seem to bother Riddick and he continued eating without giving any indication that he had even heard her.

"Why'd you get it done?" Kaylee asked shyly.

"No daylight slam." Riddick shrugged, not bothering to look up from his stew. "Staying alive is a lot easier when you can see who's trying to kill you."

"Was it painful? I mean, that's gotta hurt…having somethin' put in your eyes." Kaylee looked around the table for support. "Don't everybody think it'd hurt?"

"Ain't pleasant," he repeated with nearly clinical detachment.

"Might come in handy, having eyes like that." Mal finally bit into his bread, chewing deliberately and keeping his eyes on Riddick. "Bet it makes killin' people easier too."

"Mal." Inara glared at him

"Am I the only one on this boat ain't forgot what he is? You all saw the wave, how do we know he won't kill us in our sleep?"

"Ask her." Riddick looked straight at River. "Go ahead. Ask her if I plan on killing any of you."

"Why would I do that?" Mal's eyes narrowed.

"She's the psychic. You tellin' me you haven't noticed? Should pay more attention to what she says, might learn something." Riddick finished his soup and set the spoon lightly in the bowl.

"You don't find it creepifying? Her being in your head like that." Jayne shuddered a little.

Riddick didn't answer the question, still watching River as she pushed one of her carrots around in circles at the bottom of her bowl. The rest of the group took turns staring at eat other, silent questions that weren't spoken out loud passing back and forth between.

"Doesn't want me to see the darkness." River was staring into her bowl with rapt attention. "Doesn't want me to see it, doesn't want me to see. There's so much blood. Simon, it's everywhere."

"River?" Simon reached out to put his hand on her shoulder.

"Leave," Mal ordered Riddick as he stood up. "I won't have you filling her head with the evil you done." Riddick stood up without protest and left the room, his boots sounding in the corridor almost until he reached the cargo hold.

"River, honey. You all right?" Zoe reached out to touch River's hand.

"You gonna ask her what she saw?" Jayne whispered too loudly to Mal. "Could be it was our blood. Wouldn't mind a bit of warning."

"Hard to know whose blood it could be if the wave's anything to go by. I do know that he don't belong on this ship and I'm keen to be rid of him." Mal collected his bowl and utensils, returning them to the kitchen area. "We'll be on Santo in another couple days, maybe sooner. Might want to think about locking your doors at night."

"Mal, he hasn't tried to harm any of us. Don't you think you're being a little judgmental?" Inara tried to reason with him.

Mal leaned against the back of his chair, jaw clenched as he stared her down. "Thought you said you weren't open to anyone on this ship. That was part of the deal, wasn't it? Might affect our agreement if'n that's changed."

She stood up very slowly, dark eyes flashing the only sign of anger. "Nothing has changed."

"Escaped murderer holding your chair for you, you defending him when it's obvious to everyone else he's dangerous. Forgive me for wondering if maybe you're wantin' him around for some other reason than human decency," Mal continued to goad her, just as angry.

"That escaped murderer has shown me more respect than you ever have, Malcolm Reynolds. And the agreement was for you and your crew. I gave no conditions concerning passengers on this ship."

"Not sure which part of that is funnier. The part where you think I ain't respected you or the part where you let him touch you." Mal stood up and crossed his arms, glaring at her coldly. "I'll be glad to be rid of your kind, ain't been nothing but trouble for me and mine." He stalked off toward the bridge, leaving the room in stunned silence.

"And I was never yours," Inara said softly after he was gone, turning her face away from the rest of the crew.

Kaylee moved to Inara's side quickly. "Cap'n don't mean that, Inara. He's just cranky bein' on this ship too long. You know how he is."

"It was partly true." Inara's smile was weak and strained. "I am leaving. He's been generous enough not to tell you but I intend to leave Serenity at New Melbourne. I'm sorry I didn't tell you all sooner."

Kaylee looked shattered. "Is it because of the Cap'n?"

"No, of course not. It's just time for me to move on." Inara hugged Kaylee tightly, stroking her hair. "And it was a very hard decision for me to make. I will miss you all terribly."

"We'll miss you, Inara." Zoe pulled closer to Wash.

"Who else will keep us civilized and remind us how to use those magical things called forks?" It was meant to be a joke but even Wash seemed genuinely distressed by the idea.

Jayne stared at her with a furrowed brow. "How'd shine job afford what you charge, 'Nara?"

She sighed patiently and reached out to gently pat his hand. "He saved my life, Jayne."

"Hell, I saved your life a-plenty. You ain't never," he stopped as he saw the others begin to smile. "Oh. So Cap'n was only right about the leavin' part, not about the part where you…"

"Exactly."

"Good. Don't want to be left out…if'n there's a chance."

"Not in this lifetime." Inara gave them all a bright smile. "If you don't mind, I'm going to return to my shuttle. I guess it's time I started packing my things."

Once Inara was gone, Kaylee sat down and stared at the table dejectedly. "This is awful. What're we gonna do? We gotta convince her to stay and give the Cap'n another chance. You know he can't really want her off the ship, y'all seen the way he looks at her."

"Maybe it's just time for her to go. She'll be fine, Kaylee. Ain't no problem for a registered Companion to find work," Zoe assured her.

"On New Melbourne? Ain't nothing there but fish."

"And a lot of folk passing through. Bound to be a ship headed for the Core." She took stock of the table and stood up. "Everybody put a hand in for cleaning up and let's get back to our jobs."

Simon stayed close to River as they gathered up the empty plates and bowls. She had a tendency to forget what she was doing and leave a chore half finished. It helped to be beside her, gently reminding her of what she'd been doing before distraction caught her eye. Her eyes had that far away look that meant her mind was somewhere else and he took extra care to make sure she didn't drop any of the dishes.

"He hurt her, Simon," she told him as she dried a mug.

"I'm sure she's used to it by now." He took the mug when she was done and placed it back in the storage bin.

"Afraid he pushed her away but doesn't know how to keep her."

Kaylee finished drying her mug and put it away next to River's. "Don't s'pose any of us knows how to do that or she wouldn't be wantin' rid of us."

"I'm sure it's not us, well, not us personally." Wash glanced toward the bridge. "Do you think Mal really believes she…you know…with the big, scary, bald guy? Or was that just another one of their domestic disputes?"

"Seems plenty mad about something. Could be that she's leaving, could be something else," Zoe answered thoughtfully as she stowed the rest of the plates. "Best let him be. The Captain will work it out."

"Before or after he makes this place a gorram hell?" Jayne rattled the forks as he put them away. "Don't fancy him takin' his frustration out on me."

"Has anyone thought to ask Inara what happened in her shuttle?" The sound of Book's voice startled them. They'd forgotten he was still in the room.

"Bad guy killed the other bad guy. Thank goodness only one of them had any hair or we might not have been able to tell them apart." Wash snatched the last biscuit before Zoe whisked it away.

"Don't reckon there's much more to it than that, Shepherd," Zoe said.

"Inara is not an unreasonable woman nor is she unintelligent. If she believes this man is worth befriending then there must be a reason."

"Could be she's just being nice and all," Kaylee offered helpfully.

"Might be trying to save our necks," Jayne pointed out with his usual gleeful anticipation of violence. "Bein' nice might be part of her using her feminine wiles to keep him distracted. Makin' deals with the devil."

"It never hurts to be nice to the dangerous criminal, maybe he'll choose not to slit our throats." Wash checked the bridge with trepidation, resigned to having to occupy the same space as the Captain. "Then again, if something important happened, wouldn't Inara tell us?"

"Could be he threatened her?" Jayne fingered his knife.

"Jayne." Zoe shook her head. "There'll be no killing on this ship."

"I can take him, Zoe. You know I can."

"No sense you dyin' just to please the Captain. Shepherd's got a point, knowing the truth ain't never been wrong. We got two more days of this, best for all to keep the peace and go our way." Zoe held up a hand to stave off any argument. "We all got jobs to fill."

They drifted out of the dining area toward their respective posts. Jayne continued to grumble about nothing in particular and Kaylee announced that she was going to see Inara. With no immediate injuries to tend to, Simon returned to the medical bay to continue sorting and reorganizing his supplies. Imposing order in the midst of chaos gave his hands something to do while his mind spun in circles. River never accompanied him and she seemed to be fascinated with the walls of the ship for the moment. The way she cocked her head reminded him of a bird listening for worms beneath the dirt. Maybe she was listening to whatever went on behind the walls.

He started counting bandages and dressings, glancing up to check on River occasionally. She had discovered a length of hollow metal pipe about four feet long and was peering through it at the floor. It brought back memories of the games they used to play and that made him smile. She had always wanted to be the pirate sailing away with treasure and hiding it on an island where no one could touch it. His part had been the noble sea captain chasing after her to put an end to her lawless ways. He could remember the way her hair shone in the sunlight as she raced away from him with her treasure. Usually it was a music box or a statue that their mother had given her, something she wasn't too worried about breaking but precious enough to be worthy of a pirate.

Always smiling. The River he'd grown up with had been a happy child fascinated with all that was and all that could be. Questions tumbled out of her mouth about everything her senses discovered. The sun, the stars, the ground beneath her feet. Nothing was too far away for her to reach and she hungered for knowledge.

The clang of metal against metal broke his train of thought but he didn't think much of it. Either River had dropped her piece of pipe or Jayne was rearranging the cargo again. When there wasn't anything else to do, the chunren had to keep busy somehow. It wasn't until he heard a series of unusual thumps and crashing sounds that he wondered what was going on.

"Simon!" Kaylee's cry sent his heart racing and he left what he was doing to run toward her voice. She was on the catwalk crossing the cargo hold, pointing to the crates and waving for him to hurry. Rushing up the stairs, he reached Kaylee at the same time as Inara and stared out over the cargo in horror.

Metal swooped and spun, River's hair flying as she twisted around to swing the pipe at Riddick's chest. He rolled left, came back to his feet and caught the pipe with one hand, yanking it to the side and trying to pull River off balance. With glee, she let go and sped across the top of the crates toward the catwalk. She leapt into the air, hands catching the metal supports and swapping positions. Feet swinging around, she landed a kick dead center in Riddick's chest and knocked him back. The big man was down for barely an instant before she was off and running with him a short step behind her. She scrambled onto the catwalk at the far end of the cargo hold. Strong hands swung Riddick up onto the walk ahead of her, blocking her path.

Beside Simon, Kaylee jumped as Riddick lunged toward River, gripping Simon's arm painfully as River danced out of harm's way. Dark hair fluttered like ribbon as she took hold of a support rod, using it to swing herself around and catapult off of the catwalk to land on the crates. Riddick was a second behind her, the sound of his heavy boots on the top of crates resounding through the hold. He caught her this time, a large arm snaking around her waist and lifting her up.

"No!" Simon shouted as he hurried around to the side where he could be closer to her. "Let her go! River!"

Riddick let go her immediately and River laughed as she darted away. "I'm dancing, Simon! Come dance with me!"

"River, get down from the crates. Go over to the edge and I'll help you down, all right?"

"You're not fun." River frowned but moved toward the edge of the crate as he asked. Before Simon could get down to floor level, Riddick dropped over the side like a cat and reached up to help her to the floor.

"What do you think you're doing?" Simon moved himself protectively between River and Riddick.

"Dancing apparently." Riddick's attention was fixed on the crate beside him.

"Dancing? You were chasing my sister!"

"Seemed to me she was enjoying it." Riddick turned his head toward Simon and lifted his goggles away from his eyes.

"That's ridiculous. Why would she want to be chased by someone who's probably trying to slit her throat?" As he said it, he knew it could be true and prayed that Riddick wouldn't see through the lie. She couldn't have understood that it was more than just a game played with a wolf.

"Someone want to tell me what's going on?" Mal demanded as he entered the cargo bay with Zoe and Jayne not far behind. "And why ain't I surprised to find our new guest at the center of the trouble."

"He was chasin' River round the crates." Kaylee waved at the cargo.

"Fox trot." River spun around slowly, lost in her own world. "Slow, slow, quick, quick. Keep up, don't step on toes."

"She thought they were dancin'," Kaylee added in River's defense. "It's kinda like dancin', I s'pose. I mean, you gotta move your feet and all."

"There some reason you need to be chasin' her about?" Mal asked Riddick coldly. Riddick only shrugged in response, meeting Mal's furious stare with controlled calm.

"Sir?" Zoe was staring intently at the crate next to Riddick.

"Read my mind, Zoe. Think you got something strong enough to hold this guy? Other than a bullet, that is. Don't care too much for blood all over my ship."

"Sir? The crate." She pointed to a crack along the corner.

"You damaged the cargo?" Mal shoved past Riddick to inspect a widening gap between two of the sides. His frown deepened as he pulled out a wrapped packaged that had been cut open by the metal's edge. A single lavender flower had slipped through the gap and unfurled an array of heart shaped petals.

"I think we got ourselves a problem, sir." Zoe checked the next crate for damage. "These ain't wheat. Orchids maybe, outta Greenleaf. Settlers ain't got no need for orchids, sir."

"They could be meant for medicines," Simon suggested. "There is a black market for tropical plants that produce cures."

"Or for makin' drops and black wine, sir." Zoe waited a beat, "It is Santo we're goin' to. Ain't known for its medicine."

"More known for anythin' that'd turn a man blind," Jayne said with a grin. "That black wine's s'posed to make a man nigh unkillable."

"Before it liquefies your internal organs. There's a reason the Alliance executes anyone caught synthesizing it," Simon paused, his eyes widening as he looked out over the crates filling the cargo hold. "Or transporting it."

Riddick stepped away from the crate. "And here I thought I was the criminal on this ship."

"Ain't nothin' but innocent flowers now." Mal pulled out three more packages that had been torn and set them gently to the side. "Not all our cargo is strictly legal. See what you can do to repair these crates, Kaylee. Have this gan ni niang help you since he's the one responsible. Doc, you know something that could stitch these up?"

"You want me to sew up bags of flowers?" Simon blinked at him.

"Ain't that what I just said? See if you can do it so it can't be seen. They think we've damaged the merchandise and we got ourselves a problem."

"I have silk thread in my shuttle." Inara hurried to get it.

"Cargo better be shiny before we dock." Mal came face to face with Riddick. "I got no problem tossing you out land or no land. I understand the black ain't too friendly to a man."

Riddick merely blinked his silver eyes once before turning away from Mal. "You, Kaylee. Got anything to weld this shut?"

"I got a torch should do. Don't worry none, Cap'n, it'll be good as new!" Kaylee's ponytail bounced as she ran for her tools.

Mal looked like he wanted to say something more but kept his mouth shut and stomped out of the cargo bay. A few seconds later the com buzzed and Wash's voice echoed through the room. "What's going on? Zoe? Why do you guys always leave me out of loop? I need loop here."

"Everything's fine." Zoe buzzed back. She took another long look at the crate and at Riddick. "You ain't done us wrong, Riddick. Don't mean you won't and that worries me some."

"Just passing through," Riddick said quietly.

"Cap'n wants you off at the next port, can't say I don't agree with him. Might want some insurance you won't turn on us 'tween now and then." She met his gaze levelly. "Understand it ain't nothin' personal."

"Never is." Very slowly, he reached up, slid the goggles off of his head, and held them out to her. "Can't take a step off this ship without them. Being blind ain't what it's cracked up to be."

Zoe took the goggles and nodded. "Once the payload is delivered they'll be returned to you, you have my word."

Kaylee returned breathless from her run. "Got the torch and primer cord."

"That's good, Kaylee. Let the Captain know soon as you finish. Jayne, stick around case you're needed." Zoe left them to their own devices.

"Simon," Inara called from the catwalk, dropping the spool of silk thread down to him. "It was the closest I could find to a match. Be careful."

"Thanks." Simon motioned to for River to come with him. He found a tray meant for surgical tools and very carefully laid the damaged packages of dirt and flowers on top so he could carry them into the surgery bay. Using the smallest needle he could find, he began the painstaking process of sewing the plastic packaging closed.


	3. Much Ado About Kaylee

"Have to make sure to wait for the metal to get good and wet before you start with the torch, otherwise you won't get a smooth joint and it'll be visible fifty yards back." Jittery nerves kept Kaylee spouting random instructions and tips without actually making her any less nervous. She weren't sure there was any wisdom in Mal's idea of Riddick helping her now that she was up close to him. The clamps holding the two sides together kept slipping as she welded. Finally she gave up, shut off the torch and went back to trying to get the clamps to grip the metal properly. "Nuishi! Stupid piece of feiwu."

Riddick reached around her to place a hand on each piece and push them together. "Just hurry up with that torch."

She slapped the mask down and started burning. The torch moved as fast as she could push it, melting the primer cord into the edges and then using that as a bond between the two pieces. It weren't the strongest patch in the verse but it'd hold 'til they were long gone.

Once she reached as high as she could, she cut the torch and wiped the sweat off of her forehead. "Should hold itself once it cools and that ain't long. I can get the rest without you havin' to hold it. You good 'til then?"

"Just say when," he answered.

Kaylee froze as she realize that she was trapped between him and the crate, her back up against his chest and a burly arm on either side. To make matters worse, Jayne had chosen that moment to wander off for something he wanted. Her cheeks were already flushed with the heat of the torch and this predicament wasn't helping. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to slip out under his arms without bumping him and possibly causing him to lose his grip on the crate. "Duibuqi, I ain't sure how to get out without riskin' havin' to start over. 'fraid you're stuck with me."

"Don't mind." His breath tickled the back of her neck. "Been a long time since I had a beautiful woman in my arms."

"You think I'm meili?" She pulled the mask off and looked up over her shoulder. "Really? Not just pretty?"

"Meili," he echoed with a faint smile.

"Course, you been in prison. Can't imagine there are a lot of women there. Most anything'd be improvement, right?"

He surprised her by laughing. More of a rumble deep in his throat and chest, rough and out of place with the emotionless rest of him. "Got soot on your face, Kaylee."

"Oh! I am such a sha gwa." Embarrassed, she rubbed at her face.

"Sexy."

"Sexy?" Her cheeks were burning now and she turned away before he could see how red her face was or hear how fast her heart was beating with nervousness. Bad enough being this close to him when Jayne was in the room, it was near terrifying being all alone. She tested the weld and decided it was cold enough that he could let go. "It's good. I'll get the top part."

"I'll look for more." He dropped his arms and moved around to the other side of the crate.

Kaylee leaned back against the crate and took a deep breath. "Ain't that the way? Can't get Simon to barely look at me and first convicted murderer we pick up thinks I'm sexy with soot on my face. Life sure ain't fair." She shook her head and dragged a smaller crate over to reach the rest of the crack.

"Are you all right, Kaylee?" Inara's voice startled her.

"'Nara! Nearly gave me a heart attack." Kaylee glanced around furtively to see if anyone else had heard her but Jayne was still elsewhere and Riddick had vanished between the crates.

"I came down to see how the repairs were going."

"They's coming. Be glad when it's done though, something 'bout those eyes of his gives me the shivers." It was too embarrassing to mention the part about her being beautiful so she yanked her mask down and started welding again. Once she reached the top, she cut the torch again and hopped down from the crate. "Makes me appreciate Simon, you know. He don't scare me none and he ain't been in prison for killin' people."

Inara smiled, "There are a few good men left in the verse."

"What about the Cap'n? He's a good man."

"He's…something."

"There ain't no account for you to leave just cause of him." Kaylee adjusted the throughput on the torch and wrapped up the rest of the primer cord around her shoulder.

"Sometimes we can't see what's right in front of us; we're so blind that we don't see until it's too late. There are reasons that I can't explain but none of them are because I take joy in leaving you. Any of you."

She rubbed her nose with the back of her hand and tried not to be sad. "Meant to ask why you bein' nice to Riddick. Since Cap'n wasn't right about you havin' sex with him…right?"

"There are two reasons." Inara turned to go back up the stairs. "The first is that he knows how much River is worth to the Alliance and he doesn't care. He doesn't want the ship and he doesn't want River. The second is that it's good strategy; something that Mal seems unable to grasp. Even a lion can be tamed by a soft voice and a steady hand."

Kaylee pondered that as she watched Inara retreat to her shuttle. Maybe this was the universe where Jayne had something useful to say and Inara had made a deal with the silver-eyed devil.

"Kaylee."

She jerked and dropped her hand torch when she heard Riddick's voice, whirling around to see him standing behind her. "Tianna! You're the second person's done that to me today. Can't you people learn to warn a girl 'fore you go sneakin' up on her?"

"Duibuqi." He bent down to pick up the torch and handed it to her.

"Mei guanxi, I'm jumpy s'all." She laughed nervously as she took it.

"Kaylee? Are you all right? I thought I heard something." Simon appeared in the doorway, looking concerned.

"Just me droppin' stuff, ain't nothing to worry."

"Xiaoxin," he said before disappearing again.

"I will!" Kaylee called after him, sighing heavily once the echo of her voice had faded away. "Bet you're cursing the day you woke up on this boat."

"Beats the slam." He jerked his head toward the narrow corridor between the crates. "Found another one down the side. These things seem to be weakest at the corners."

"Did you have to break them?" She rubbed her nose again and started into the passageway. "Any idea what you're gonna do once we land?"

"Find a ship," he answered indifferently.

"Where you headed? Other than where we're going."

"Anywhere without people."

"Sounds lonely." Kaylee squinted at the crack. It was at the top of the crate, curling around the corner, and beginning to inch down the side as the insides pressed outward. The passage was too narrow to drag a crate for her to stand on and she wasn't feeling much like hanging over the top. Might make the crack move faster anyhow.

"Climb on." Riddick crouched as low as possible in the cramped space and held out his hand.

"You're not serious."

"You got a better idea?" He tipped his head to the side, his silver eyes unnerving in the shadow.

"No, no. This'll do." She put one foot on his thigh and took his hand. As soon as she'd swung her other leg over his left shoulder, he straightened up and slid her right leg onto his shoulder in a single motion. "Wei! Are you kuangzhe de?"

"Can you reach?"

"I think so." She adjusted her mask and readied the torch, ignoring the fact that his hands were holding onto her thighs to keep her balanced. Hands like that and he could snap her like a tooth pick if he had the mind to. "Ain't gonna apologize cause this was your idea but you might want to watch the firey bits. They burn plenty 'fore they go out."

This crack was such that it didn't need any clamps and she could seal the edges with no more than a little pressure using her free hand. She tried not to think about the rain of sparks, figuring they couldn't feel good but anyone who'd put stuff in their eyeballs on purpose probably didn't bother much with pain. When she finished, she lifted up her mask and surveyed the weld. They'd have to drag the crates out of Serenity somehow; she just hoped the joints were strong enough to handle the torque.

"Didn't find no more?"

"Just the one. Grab on to the top."

"What?" She grabbed onto the crate to steady herself as he reached up and put his hands on her hips. He lifted her up, ducking beneath her and then lowering her down in front of him. It was narrow enough that she had to slide between his body and the crate, which brought back memories of Jubel Early and sent her heart racing fearfully.

"Easy," he cautioned as her feet touched the floor.

"I think I'm stuck." The passage wasn't wide enough to accommodate both of them and her tools. One end of the torch was lodged into one of the grooves in the crate and the other dug painfully into her stomach, refusing to budge. She didn't have enough room to pull it out and began to panic.

"That," Riddick said against her ear, his hands curling over hers to stop her from pulling on the torch. "Ain't the best idea."

"You wanna be stuck in here all night?" His arms around her felt more like a noose around her neck. She braced herself for the possibility of all sorts of unpleasantness, hoping that Simon would hear her scream.

"There're worse things to be stuck with than you."

"That so?" She was about to remind him that Jayne was probably sitting back at the other end of the cargo hold cleaning his guns.

"Before that merc caught me, left a planet full of things came out at night to rip you apart. Claws and teeth. Smelled blood and followed it." He shifted her one direction and moved the other way, twisting the torch around so it came loose from the crate and dropped into her hands.

It was the most she'd heard him say at one time since River had let him out of the box and she felt a little guilty over thinking the worst when he'd just been trying to help. She checked the nozzle of the torch for any unexpected bends; glad to see it had survived without damage. "Why'd you go there if it was so dangerous?"

"Transport ship crash landed. Those of us survived found a skiff before nightfall but only three of us made it off the planet." He was looking at her but she could tell he was light years away.

"I'm sorry. Was they…any of them people you cared for?" She placed her hand on his arm in sympathy.

His jaw tightened and she watched his expression turn cold. "Probably should've been smart and left them when I had the chance."

"How can you say that?"

"I got no reason to kill you, Kaylee. Any of you. Don't mean I won't if you give me one." He leaned in close enough that she could feel his breath hot against her skin. "I don't give a fuck what happens to any of you. Dong ma?"

She forced herself to stare into those terrifying eyes, memories of Niska's men and Jubel Early flashing through her mind. All the times she should've been brave and hadn't been. Weren't going to be that Kaylee no more. She lifted her chin defiantly, "I ain't 'fraid of you."

"You should be."

"Well, I ain't. River never woulda let you out if'n she thought we'd come to harm." She scowled stubbornly at him.

River appeared at their side like a ghost materializing out of thin air. "Crocodile doesn't like the taste of humanity in his mouth. Bitter like chalk, can't swallow it down so he keeps choking."

"Don't push your luck, kid," Riddick snarled.

"She died for you. Died for nothing if you hurt Kaylee. Ripped away, ripped apart, watched her die. Crocodile wants to be human again, doesn't know how. Has to choose." River watched them calmly, eyes wide and unblinking.

Riddick pulled back, his expression oscillating between shock and fury, and his fists clenched tightly as though he couldn't decide whether or not to strike her. Choice made, he turned around and disappeared between the crates. Kaylee stared after him, taking deep breaths now that her chest weren't so constricted.

"What was that about, River?"

"Blood on his hands." River turned away to wander between the crates. "Couldn't save her, blood on his hands he didn't ask for and doesn't want. Doesn't lay idle like the rest, doesn't let him sleep."

"Sure am glad you're on our side, River. You can be mighty creepifying." Kaylee shivered as she hugged her tools protectively.

"I know."

Kaylee peered out from the crates, determined not to come out if Riddick was still around just in case he thought he hadn't threatened her good and proper. Seeing no sign of him, she made sure she had everything and made a beeline for the safety of the engine room. It was easier breathing where everything was familiar.

"Kaylee?"

This time she screamed at the top of her lungs, whirling around to see Mal standing in the doorway. "Wode tian, Cap'n! Don't do that again, you hear? All you fixin' to scare me right to death!"

He looked at her as though she'd lost her mind. "You alright? Seem a mite jumpy."

"Next time there needs fixin', you can be the one doin' it. See how you like havin' his hands all over you." She shuddered as she put the torch and mask away.

"Did he touch you? That qingwa cao de liumang!" He was halfway out of the room before she could get a word in edgewise.

"Cap'n!" She caught his arm and stopped him. "Not more'n was necessary. But you seen the size of him and you seen the size of me. More than a bit of difference 'tween the two and it's mighty disconcerting. He could've broken me into pieces without so much as an effort and no one woulda known."

"Jayne was s'posed to be there watchin' over you."

"He were. He stepped out to get something and don't be mad, weren't Jayne's fault." With a heavy sigh, she sat down beside the heart and soul of Serenity and stared bleakly into the engine core. "I just ain't brave, Cap'n. If River hadn't come when she did, I was fixin' to scream."

"Kaylee, bao bei." He settled down next to her. "Shouldn't have asked it of you. Should've done the repairs myself."

"No offense, Cap'n, but you ain't exactly clever with tools."

"Hey now, I pass fair with a hammer."

She smiled weakly, breathing easier now that she was safe. "Might should know, River said somethin' to him seemed to make him real mad. Didn't hurt her or nothing, just stormed off lookin' real dark."

"She make any sense to you?"

"Something about someone dying and him not savin' her. Near as I can tell, he don't care much about keepin' anyone alive but himself." She shivered again and wrapped her arms tightly around her knees. "Said he crashed on some planet with a bunch of monsters and only three of the passengers made it. Said he shoulda been smart and left 'em there. Like…like he don't even care whether they lived or died."

"We know he ain't exactly a Shepherd, Kaylee."

"There's somethin' about him, Cap'n. Like a snake just waitin' to strike, all coiled and ready. I can't believe River'd let him out if'n she thought he'd hurt us."

"Curiosity's a powerful thing. And it ain't no question of River's intentions, she's shown she's willing to protect the crew and Serenity at risk to herself," he told her reassuringly.

"I'm such a coward."

"No such thing." Mal shook his head. "Man like that gets his fun outta scarin' people, pushin' their buttons. No doubt in my mind he wanted to make you afraid of him."

"How can anyone be that cold, Cap'n? Wantin' to leave people to die like that. Like he ain't got no human left in him."

"Prison can change a man, turn him into an animal. Ain't more complicated than that. Say the word and I'll throw him off this boat faster than you can say zia-jian."

Kaylee shook her head, wiping at her face with her sleeve. "Not on account of me. Just a case of the jitters is all."

"You sure? Won't pain me none to do it."

"I'd feel responsible, Cap'n. And I ain't a monster who don't care like him."

Mal gave her an odd smile but nodded before standing up, "I'll make sure he stays away from you from now on. Don't you worry."

"Thanks, Cap'n. Don't think I'll be sleeping with the door unlocked 'til he's gone. Creepy knowing he can see in the dark, ain't it?" She shivered again, watching the soothing spin of the engine core as his footsteps faded away. No sense telling him that Riddick said she was beautiful, he'd probably just been trying to throw her off balance anyway. She rubbed at her face a little harder, determined to wipe away all the soot and any reminder of Riddick.

**

Mal's skin crawled with a sick kind of anger as he headed for the cockpit. He'd intended to ask Wash if he could hurry up their schedule a bit and get the gorram psychopath off his boat sooner rather than later. He was surprised to find Zoe sitting in Wash's chair and no sign of her husband.

"Zoe?"

"Just a moment, sir." She raised a hand in acknowledgement but didn't turn around. "Thank you, Mr. Universe. This'll help us."

"I'll keep my eyes open for anything else about our optically enhanced friend. Don't be strangers," the familiar voice called out from the console before the wave went silent.

"Lookin' for something in particular, Zoe?" Mal took a seat across from her.

"More information never hurts, sir."

"And?"

Zoe shook her head. "I don't like the picture that's forming. Lot of people lookin' for this Riddick bad enough they're sending information halfway across the universe. Seems agreed that there ain't a prison in the verse can hold him."

"Not comfortin' in particular."

"River said he'd fought in a war." She looked away as though trying to avoid telling him.

"Something interesting?"

"According to this, he was the only man to return out of a platoon of five hundred, sir. It was a slaughter."

Mal felt his stomach turn and pushed away the images of Serenity Valley before they could take root in his mind. Wouldn't help him none to be thinking of that. "This supposed to make him sympathetic? Cause I just spent time with Kaylee and he's got her holed up in the engine room terrified of closin' her eyes. Ain't much caring what war he fought in."

"Just looking for a better understanding of what we're dealing with is all."

"Worried he might become a problem?"

"There are at least three star systems out there in which he ain't been nothing but." She detached his goggles from her belt, turning them over on her palm as she studied them. "Took these as insurance weren't any of us gonna meet unfortunate ends before the job was done. Near as I can tell, it's the only weakness he has."

"Now you're thinkin' it won't be enough."

"If something goes wrong while we're with the cargo, sir…Serenity will be wide open."

"We'll leave Jayne to watch over the others."

"I ain't saying that's a bad idea but what if it ain't enough? We're gonna be spread too thin as it is."

The idea had already occurred to Mal and he hadn't yet had any brilliant ideas about how to get around it. "Probably right. Most likely, we'll be outgunned and outnumbered. If you're worried about Riddick, then we make sure he ain't gonna be a problem. After what he did to Kaylee, I'll sleep easy."

"What I'm saying, sir, is that we need to conjure a way to get him on our side."

"Come again?"

"If he's everything these bulletins say he is then protectin' Serenity while we're gone won't be a trouble for him." Zoe tucked the goggles away carefully.

"Job could be smooth sailing, no problems at all."

"Could be. Could just be pretty flowers, nothin' more. Are you willing to risk our home on a hope and a prayer, sir?"

"Ain't no way of being sure he won't turn on us even if he does agree to help. Kaylee seems to be under the impression he's ain't for caring about any life but his own." Mal stared out into the black thoughtfully.

"Every man has a price. If we can afford his, it's worth considering."

Mal could see the reason behind her words and he trusted her judgment of a situation enough to spend time turning it over in his mind. Much as he hated to admit it, he'd also been a mite disturbed by what River had said at the table. He'd even caught himself looking extra hard in the mirror half expecting to see scales growing up under his skin.

"Sir?" Zoe's voice pulled him back to the present.

"What do we have that this man could possibly want? Far as I can tell, he's only happy when he's terrorizin' my crew."

"Perhaps River-"

"No." He cut her off and shook his head vehemently. "Don't want her seeing into his head any more than she has already. Nothing but blood and evil in there. No need for her to go digging."

"We need a way to get a better idea of what kind of man he is."

"Other than a cold-blooded killer?"

"Even with all this searchin', I ain't got a clear picture of what drives him. We need someone to try talkin' to him, sir, see if they can get an idea."

"Well, I can," he offered.

"I don't think so, sir. I think you two were born hatin' each other and all that'd come of it is one of you dead. That don't help us none come tomorrow." Zoe was trying not to smile.

"You got another idea?"

"Well, sir, there is someone on this boat trained to read a man."

**

"To what do I owe this…" Inara trailed off as Mal was followed by Book and Zoe. Just Mal barging into her shuttle wasn't nearly as rare as she'd like but the others, and the combination of them all, was unusual.

"Inara." Mal nodded, standing stiff and uncomfortable. "We come to ask you for one last help. For the crew and for Serenity."

"Somehow I don't think I'm going to like this." She closed the trunk she was packing and sat down on the bench. "Please, make yourselves comfortable." They somewhat awkwardly settled onto various pieces of furniture.

Mal cleared his throat. "We come to ask you for somethin' that ain't smart." 

"That's not exactly unusual." Inara smiled.

"We need Riddick on our side." Zoe shifted uncomfortably. "This job could be tricky and we need someone on Serenity who knows somethin' about killin'."

Inara wasn't sure if she was more surprised by the request or by the fact that it was coming from Zoe. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you're asking."

"Need you get a fix on him, maybe help us find something we can use to convince him to help us. Ain't asking any more than a better idea what we're dealin' with and if he's gonna turn on us."

She thought about that for a moment, watching the expressions on Mal's face change as he exchanged glances with Book. That they had brought Book puzzled her somewhat. Zoe, as always, was unreadable. She adjusted her skirt and crossed her ankles elegantly before addressing them. "You're asking me to spend time with a man you know to be an escaped murderer and who you believe to be dangerous."

"Out of all of us, you'd read him clearest and he don't seem to have a dislike for you," Zoe continued.

"That's one way of puttin' it," Mal muttered sarcastically.

"Riddick doesn't frighten me," Inara told them levelly.

"He ought to." Mal met her eyes, staring at her so intently that she wondered if he was trying to look into her soul. "Can't figure for the life of me why he don't. Kaylee's scared half to death of him and she weren't the one watched him kill a man."

"Mal." Inara looked down at her hands.

"You were covered in blood, Inara. Tell me how that don't equate to bein' jinge."

"I was so jingkong I couldn't move!" Inara was stunned at her own voice echoing through the shuttle. "The gun was right beside me and I couldn't even move my hands to reach for it. But I'm glad I didn't."

"You sure pick funny things to be glad over." Mal frowned pensively at her.

She looked away to regain her composure, turning back to them only when she could do so with a calm smile. "I'm willing to speak with him. What are you willing to offer in exchange for his help?"

"Cut of the take," Mal answered without hesitation.

"Can you afford to do that?"

"Might be we can't afford not to," Zoe replied.

"There is one contingency that we should plan for," Book spoke for the first time. He looked to Mal and received a single nod.

"You think he'll ask for something other than money," Inara preempted him quickly. "Believe me, the idea had crossed my mind."

"He know you're a…" Mal's words trailed off.

"He knows what I am, Mal."

"I must say that I have a hard time with this," Book slid closer to Inara. "This is a dangerous man who has been in prison for a very long time. Should he not desire money…well, I don't believe that you are simply a commodity to be bartered and sold."

"Neither do I, Shepherd. Believe me, that won't be an offer I extend. But as you pointed out, he has been in prison and I would be very surprised if he didn't request my services."

"It's a dangerous precedent." Book continued to shake his head.

"I won't be with Serenity much longer, Shepherd, so precedence is hardly the issue." She made a show of glancing around the shuttle. "If you don't mind, I need to prepare. I will speak with him, extend your offer of a cut of the profit from this job, and make an attempt to persuade him. If he desires something beyond your offer, I will consider it for myself and I will decide how to proceed."

"Inara." The Shepherd looked genuinely pained.

"The Companion chooses the client, not the other way around. Should that be his price, it will be my decision alone."

"You'll get all the information we have on him. And I want your screen on; cover it up if you have to. Want to know what's goin' on in case he's hard of hearin' with the word no." Mal seemed disgruntled by her agreement to act as their ambassador.

"We ain't asking you to bed him, Inara. We're willin' to break down that door if need be." The concern in Zoe's voice was strangely comforting.

"I appreciate your concern."

"And if he so much as leaves a mark on you, he'll be dealt with according." All concern was replaced by cold determination as Zoe stood up to leave.

"I'll need a change of clothing."

"Don't you got enough?" Mal looked around, puzzled.

"For Riddick."

Mal's brow furrowed. "Thought we just finished talkin' bout how he ain't gonna be takin' those off."

"Don't ask questions, Mal. Just trust me and get me a change of clothing." Inara tried not to show her amusement.

"Oh. Well, I got some-"

"We'll take somethin' of Jayne's, sir," Zoe cut him off with a half smile.

"You should be armed. Might take us a some time to get to you if he…if he…" Mal trailed off, pulling his gun out of the holster.

"Do you honestly think me foolish enough to face him unarmed? Keep your guns, I have my own weapons. Now if you'll excuse me." Inara kept her smile in place as Mal and Zoe left the shuttle. When Book hesitated, she put a gentle hand on his arm. "I will be careful, Shepherd. And I'm sure most of the crew will be listening."

"This is a dangerous game, Inara."

"A game that I have been taught to play." She drifted back toward the vanity and selected a suitable stick of incense. "Money and status do not always go hand in hand with civility and even the most finely polished veneer can hide a monster. Companions are taught to stay aware of the situation and know when it has become unsafe. We are not helpless."

"I do not believe this is a man who can be manipulated." Book stood quietly with his Bible in his hands.

"Did you fail in your attempt to convert him, Shepherd?" she gently teased.

He smiled and there might have been a touch of color in his cheeks. "I'm afraid I'm guilty of passing judgment. My own fallible nature did not believe that this was a man who could be or wished to be redeemed."

"I'm sure you're not the only one."

"I see a powerful anger in him. I've seen him looking at the Holy Book with murder in his eyes. This is not a man who doesn't believe in God, Inara. This is a man who would tear down the gates of heaven to destroy Him. This is a man who knows only evil." He bowed his head sadly.

"And yet River senses something in him." Inara placed the stick of incense gently in the stand and continued her preparations. "Something that the rest of us either can't see or refuse to see."

"It is possible."

Inara realized she was staring at the delicate teacup in her hand without actually seeing the tiny flowers painted onto the porcelain. Her mind replayed the scene in her shuttle over and over. She could almost feel the warm spray of blood on her skin and Riddick's rough hands as he began wiping it away. It was an odd thing for a killer to do. Rather it was something that an older brother did after spraying a sibling with mud, an awkward attempt at an apology. The word family made him visibly tense and the way he looked at her hadn't changed at all after he'd discovered what she was. A whore was just another face that couldn't be trusted.

"Inara?"

"Forgive me, Shepherd. My mind wandered." She set the teacup down gently. "They aren't so different, Malcolm and Riddick."

"I'm afraid I don't quite follow."

"They're both arrogant." She smiled at him, setting out a carefully chosen selection of teas. "I doubt either of them understand compassion, mercy, or forgiveness. Those are idle words that have no place in their lives. I fear to think what would have happened to Mal if he'd lost Zoe in that valley and if he'd never found this ship."

Book studied her thoughtfully, seeming to ponder her words long and hard. "Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps you will be able to persuade him."

"I doubt that there are other viable options as I'm the only one who has been willing to show him kindness."

"You are a woman of grace."

"Hardly, Shepherd. I know a dragon when I see one." She met his surprised look with a smile. "I simply choose not to rouse its anger."


	4. The Requests of Dragons

The girl had a grace to her that Riddick hadn't seen before, but beneath that was the kind of training he was all too familiar with. Military, experimental. A single spin of the pipe through her hands and he knew he had to test her, had to know how fast and how strong she was. There had been no recognition in her eyes of what she was doing, in her world she really was dancing. It was the muscles that remembered when the mind was lost.

He'd heard stories of tests run on prisoners in Tangiers, shooting them full of chemicals and cutting into their brains. Like the doctor, he'd believed them to be no more than stories told to keep the rest of the prisoners terrified and quiet. The depravity of mankind no long horrified him. He didn't expect men to act like anything other than the animals they really were. Faith, hope. Neither had any meaning to him now; he'd murdered them as surely as any of the corpses he'd left behind.

It was a strange world he'd woken up in. The crew of Serenity was unlike anything he'd seen before. They'd turned the ship into their home, no longer a husk of metal and skin used to move from rock to rock. It closed them up safe and secure like a womb. They'd gotten too comfortable, safe in the belly of the sturdy little Firefly.

Comfortable enough that they sometimes forgot he was there, watching and listening to them. He wasn't familiar with the mix of languages that seemed to blend and blur into one. Picked up a few words here and there, figured their meaning from the rest of the sentence, and tried them out on his own tongue. Dong ma. He understood. A ship had never been more than a go-to vehicle for him so this raggedy band of outlaws intrigued him. They knew what it was to be always running from something.

There was military in Mal as well, and the dark skinned Zoe, but they lacked sophistication. He could see war in their eyes and knew better than to push them when he wasn't looking for trouble. As for the rest of the crew: the man they called Jayne made up for what he lacked in brains with sheer physical talent for violence, the preacher man had kept to himself and Riddick wasn't about to look that gift horse in the mouth. A holy man had no use for a convict and a convict had even less use for a holy man.

Their resident Companion, as she called herself, was a study in contradictions. He had an inkling that she could be as treacherous as she was beautiful, the crew was her weakness. Her family. It was easy to see how it happened, how someone could get to feel at home within the ship's walls. Then there was Simon; swallowed up in the care and tending of River, not trusting anyone else with her safety and impervious to the longing looks that Kaylee gave him.

Thinking about Kaylee made him jumpy. Thinking about people at all wasn't something he cared to waste his time on. The pixie mechanic had looked up at him with sympathy in her wide, innocent eyes as if he was actually one of them. Last person who'd looked at him that way ended up cut to ribbons and swallowed down into some monster's belly.

He was furious that River had seen into his head and known about Carolyn, known that it haunted him every time he closed his eyes. Those were memories he wanted to drown and bury and rip out of his skull if he ever found a way. He'd lost count of the nights he'd woken up in a cold sweat watching her get torn away from him over and over. It wasn't right, it should have been him. It was his blood that had drawn the creatures to them and it was his time. Should've died on that planet.

He shook those thoughts away, knowing they'd creep back in but still hoping they wouldn't. It had been years since he'd hoped for anything at all. The jagged piece of metal in his hand gleamed faintly in the shadows and he returned to dragging the file in slow strokes over the edges.

The furthest corner of the cargo hold gave just enough space between the crates and Serenity's walls for him to stretch out his legs, and it was dark enough that his eyes didn't hurt. Half his life in one slam or another meant he was used to cramped quarters. Once he was done, the shiv would curve down around his fingers in a single, elegant arc. It was both familiarity and suspicion that made him fashion the weapon. He didn't trust them and they didn't trust him. He didn't trust himself either.

It wasn't that he hadn't tried. The three survivors of hell made it to New Mecca, a world of sun and light that was supposed to known throughout the universe as a place of acceptance. Mercs caught up with him within two months and the hot sands of New Mecca had turned red with murder. Once a killer, always a killer. He was relieved to have a reason to get off the brightly lit world that had no place for him. Left the little girl, Jack, behind with the holy man. Imam would do right by her, raise her to be something other than a monster, and the further he was away from them the better off they were.

_Crocodile wants to be human again, doesn't know how. Has to choose._

Apparently the word for that crawling sensation down his spine was creepifying and, he had to admit, the little girl's luminous eyes and uncanny knack for pulling thoughts out of his head definitely made his skin crawl in a creepifying way. It also made him angry. Angry because they'd broken her. Whoever it was, this Alliance they spoke of, had shattered her into little pieces. She was only a kid; with big, sad eyes and skinny as a rail, just like Jack.

He heard the swish of silk long before he saw her come round the corner and didn't bother to hide the evolving blade in his hand. She in turn gave no indication of being afraid of him or unnerved by the sight of his eyes in the darkness. Some found it unsettling.

"I thought you might want to freshen up. Perhaps a change of clothing. They're a loan from Jayne, I'm afraid, but I made sure they're relatively clean." She held out a pile of clothing. "And if you'd like to bathe…it's not much but I can assure you privacy. These Fireflies aren't luxury ships by any means but it can make the journey bearable. If there's one thing I won't miss once I'm gone, it's the lack of plumbing."

"Lead the way." Riddick set the shiv and file down on the floor carefully, getting to his feet to take the clothing from her hands. He had an idea where she was going, having been over every inch of the ship outside of the cockpit. Even prison boots could be silent when they needed to be.

"You don't have to hide in the corner like a…" she trailed off, giving him a sweetly apologetic smile.

"Like a rat?" He made no attempt to hide where his gaze had settled. It had been a very long time.

"I could charge you for that look, Mr. Riddick."

"Just Riddick." He was reluctant to leave the darkness of the crates but followed her out of the passage and up the stairs. The way she moved was captivating, lithe and graceful, each step calculated to draw a man's eye and keep him bound. He hadn't expected to be brought to her shuttle and hesitated when she motioned him inside.

"I did promise you privacy and this is as good it gets on this ship." She smiled good-naturedly at his reluctance. The woman was capable of more types of smiles than there were stars.

He tried not to look awkward among the silks and velvets but he was acutely aware that he did not and would never belong in a world of such soft things. A large bowl of water was sitting on the floor beside a carefully folded towel. She motioned him toward it and unfolded a screen from behind one of the drapes that would wrap around to hide him from view.

"It's primitive but it's heated. I wish I could offer you more."

"Ever seen inside a slam?" Riddick marveled at silvery drapes. "Don't figure you have. Only running water is what comes out of the ground."

"I'll return in a suitable amount of time. Please make yourself comfortable."

"Stay." He set the clothing down on one of the cushions of the bench and sat down to unbuckle his boots.

"I really don't," Inara began.

"Don't like my conversation, xin gan?"

She smiled as she settled onto her bed, soft and graceful as a cat. "You are a fast learner. I can barely hear your accent."

"Most slams, the inmates speak more languages than a man can count. Good ear comes in handy." He shucked off his boots and stood up to strip away the shirt he'd worn to point of it joining with his skin. She was pretending to examine the pattern on the bed cover.

"You're an intelligent man, Riddick."

"If you believe that, cut the bullshit. Tell me why you're comin' anywhere near me." He stepped behind the screen to remove the heavy pants, trying not to let them ruin the pretty fabric as he set them down. The sponge took a bit of getting used to but, despite her apologies, it was more of a luxury than he'd seen in years.

"I'm sure you've already guessed by now. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar." Her voice was light and casual but he could hear undertones of seriousness. "You frightened Kaylee yesterday."

"Funny. Told me she wasn't scared of me." Water splashed and trickled down over his shoulders, washing away the grime and sweat of too much time in space.

"I thought, perhaps, if you felt more at ease with us that it might be better for everyone. Not all of us are like Mal." There was a bit of a dig in there that had nothing to do with Riddick.

"Keep talkin'."

"You've been running from bounty hunters for a long time. Mal showed me the wave about your history; I think he was trying to scare me. That kind of life is difficult. It must be hard to trust anyone." She paused and he heard the rustle of silk, her voice much closer when she spoke again. "Sometimes kindness and civility is a breath of fresh air. It can change the direction of a man's path."

He had to swallow his laughter, wiping the sponge down his arm and taking a moment to notice the burns on the backs of his hands from the welding torch. Firey bits, Kaylee had called the sparks of molten metal. Firey little Kaylee who had looked at him with terror in her eyes and stood her ground in spite of it. Now he was being handled with the proverbial silk glove by a very well trained whore. He had to hand it to her, she was very good and it had been since before he'd seen his first slam that a woman had tried her hand at controlling him. The fact that everyone on the ship was completely insane continued to amuse him.

The water was nearly black and Inara was talking about a mountain covered in cherry blossoms by the time he finished. It felt better to be clean than he'd remembered. The thick towel wicked away the water like a thirsty desert and he wrapped it loosely around his waist before stepping out from behind the screen. She immediately averted her eyes.

"This game of yours would be more effective if it were more than just talk." The borrowed pants were a bit long since Jayne had a few inches on him. He figured the shirt would fit snug and postponed pulling it on. Instead, he sat down on the bench and rubbed his feet against the soft rug, enjoying the feel of it on his skin.

"I didn't have you for a moment, did I?" Inara asked with an amused smile.

"Wasn't bad effort though. Now you know that I don't exactly speak your language." He picked up one of the little pillows to inspect it curiously, wondering about its purpose. "Probably don't teach you how to deal with my kind on that mountain of yours."

Inara refolded the screen and took a seat beside him on the bench. "Forgive me, but since I have obviously failed at all attempts in subtlety...Mal doesn't trust you. And you shouldn't trust him. He's a good man but he's fiercely protective of his crew. The delivery is scheduled in a few hours and, well, the nature of the cargo changes the nature of the men who will be receiving it."

"You here to distract me?" His gaze raked over her body.

"I'm here to ask for your help," she answered simply. "I know that you'll turn on us the moment things don't go your way. I see it in your eyes. We mean nothing to you and there's no reason why we should. But you mean nothing to Mal and he will turn on you just as quickly."

"Honesty. I like that in a woman."

"Mal's plans are somewhat lacking. He has a gift for…how do I put this delicately? Well, his plans don't always work," she finished somewhat apologetically. "Serenity has to land for the crates to be unloaded. Mal, Jayne, and Zoe will follow the cargo and ensure that we get paid for the job. They'll be careful and they'll plan for the unexpected but once they leave the ship, the rest of us will be vulnerable."

"What's this got to do with me?" Riddick was beginning to get uneasy.

"The last thing these men want to do is give us the money so they'll be looking for a way to cross us. And the Alliance has sent River and Simon's holograph to every corner of the verse, someone is bound to recognize them if they come on board. You see my concern." She placed a hand on his bare shoulder. "I believe you're a man who can take care of himself. Whether or not you and Mal kill each other is not my concern."

"Long as we kill each other afterward." He allowed one small smile because she entertained him.

"Exactly. I'm here to ask you to be on our side until we're all safely back on Serenity. Mal is aware of my request and, while he takes no pleasure in it, he knows the value of an extra hand."

"Not my fight," he told her coolly.

"You would be compensated, of course. I would see to that."

Riddick caught the flicker of light behind pale fabric but didn't make any indication that he'd noticed. Behind the shawl was the communication screen he had seen before. Their conversation was being relayed to somewhere else on the ship and there was no doubt in his mind who was listening at the other end. Knowing this crew, probably all of them were there. No other reason the man called Jayne would have willing parted with anything or the Companion would have invited him into her quarters. Strangely, it put him at ease to know the crew of Serenity wasn't actually any different from the rest of mankind. All lies and deceit regardless of language or creed.

"We'll need your answer as soon as possible." She was smiling inscrutably and watching him with those wide, beautiful eyes that had been made to bend a man to her will.

He studied them for a moment, interested in the odd plays of light that his shine job cast on her face. She had kept the lights dim so they weren't painful, part of the web she was spinning around him. "You're doing this for him."

"I'm doing this for the crew and for Serenity," she said a bit too loudly.

"You said compensation. What exactly did you have in mind?"

"The Captain is prepared to include you in the division of payment, in exchange for your help."

"And if I ain't interested in money." He lowered his gaze to the bodice of her dress.

Inara stiffened almost imperceptibly. "I'm afraid my agreement with Captain Reynolds doesn't allow me-"

"I was referring to Kaylee." He interrupted her and tried not to smile at the faint squawk from behind the shawl.

She seemed to be thrown for the first time since she'd begun their game. "If that is what you desire in terms of payment then I'm afraid you'll have to settle for me. You understand, of course."

He pretended to be disappointed. "You'll do. Don't suppose this deal gets me a weapon?"

"You will be armed." She waited a beat. "Then you agree to help us."

"Won't stab you in the back and I ain't got a problem killing people." He got to his feet and leisurely stretched his shoulders and spine. "Since I'm getting off this ship once the job's done and I doubt Captain Reynolds is interested in sticking around to wait if it comes down to a fight…might be wanting that payment in advance."

"That's perfectly understandable." There was something close to panic in her eyes.

"Mind turnin' that thing off?" He nodded to the screen. "Don't care much for an audience."

"Of course." Her face was white as she moved to the screen and removed the shawl to turn it off. The careful smile had returned when she crossed back toward him. "Where would you like to start?"

"Three hours of sleep without having to watch my back. You keep them out and you stay the hell away from me. Can't guarantee you won't end up dead if you lay a hand on me." He eyed the bed with longing, easing his weight down onto the silky sheets.

"I don't understand."

"Slept with one eye open all my life." He looked up at her, suddenly very aware of how tired he was. Cryo sleep was a bitch if it was all ice and no sleep like it was for him. "All I want is knowing I'm not gonna wake up with a knife at my throat. Not that you aren't meili and if you were actually willing, might be a different story."

"If I were..." She stared at him incredulously. Finally she gave him the first genuine smile he'd seen on her pretty face. "I can help you sleep. Don't worry, they're ancient herbs and perfectly safe. I'm not trying to drug you."

"Not that you were planning to." He grinned as he stretched out on the bed.

"Believe me, I had every intention of doing so. I prefer my men with a little more refinement."

"Less blood on their hands." The ceiling had never caught his eye before but he wasn't surprised that it was just as decorated with swathes of fabric as the rest of the shuttle.

"Larger bank accounts," she corrected with blunt humor. "What about you? I understand you fought in a war?"

It was back to idle small talk again, although he didn't have a clue why she would think that question was either idle or small. He considered refusing to answer; they were memories long buried under blood and pain. Maybe the silk against his skin was going to his head. "Your little psychic tell you that?"

"She did." Inara smiled over her shoulder, carefully carrying a cup of something to him.

It didn't smell half bad and it was hot against his throat as he swallowed it down. He waited for her to put the teacup back and return to sit on the bed beside him. She was trained to get information from every word he said and every move he made. Normally he would find that threatening but he'd be off the ship soon enough and then Serenity would just be another distant memory he wanted to erase.

"Hooked up with a platoon during the Wailing Wars. I was the only one got out." He turned his eyes back up to the ceiling.

"That must have been terrible."

"Five hundred in my unit; cut to ribbons. Only one who could see it happen," he stopped when he felt the familiar sickness in his stomach that meant he was saying too much, trusting someone too much. People got close to him, they died. Sometimes he killed them, sometimes just knowing him got them killed. Always ended badly for them.

His whole world had been turned upside on that hellhole planet with three suns and not enough light to stay alive. Nothing made sense any more. He could still see Carolyn's smile and the look of relief on her face as she was yanked away from him to die. Every time he closed his eyes he saw that smile, tasted blood in his mouth, and knew that he could kill a hundred thousand of those demons and never slay the demon on his back. Carolyn hadn't given him a chance to live; she'd cursed him with something far worse than that. Hope.

"Riddick?"

Her voice was soft and her hand was stroking his cheek in a way that simultaneously put him on edge and eased him into sleep. He couldn't remember the last time someone's touch hadn't been intent to kill. Just three hours without the nightmares was all he wanted.

"Just relax."

The room was getting darker and Inara's voice was getting further away. A voice in his head was screaming that he shouldn't have taken the drink, shouldn't have trusted a whore in love with the ship's Captain. It shouted until it began to twist into River's voice and he could hear her eerie whispers echoing in his head.

_She died for you, died for nothing. Crocodile wants to be human again, doesn't know how. Has to choose. Has to choose._


	5. Flowers For Swine

Serenity was approaching the dusty looking planet when Inara heard her screen buzz to alert her to an incoming wave. She pulled a robe over her shoulders, tied it at the waist, and pulled her hair up into a knot. It buzzed again impatiently.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." She settled onto her footstool and made the connection. Mal's face filled the screen looking unpleasant as always.

"You gonna be coming out of there any time soon or will you be needing the cavalry?"

"As much as I appreciate your concern, Mal, I can assure you that I have everything under control. Or did you forget that this is my profession?" She smiled out of habit rather than desire.

"Hope you left him intact enough to be of use to us. Ain't worth the price if he can't hold up his end."

"He's fine. Is there anything else or were you just concerned for my welfare?"

"Just thought I'd wake the lovebirds. Coming up on Santo and Jayne's lookin' to get the toys out. Want to make sure that yang qui zi knows which end of a gun to hold." Mal didn't manage to disguise the loathing in his voice.

"I'll send him right out." She disconnected the wave and looked back over her shoulder at the man in her bed. It wasn't an unusual sight. Bare shoulders and back, muscled and obviously male, amidst the silk sheets. What was unusual was that she'd spent the last three hours tidying her shuttle and packing away the items she didn't use on a regular basis.

She'd done some thinking as well and had come to the conclusion that they had vastly underestimated this mere escaped prisoner. He was rough and callous and there was more fury in his eyes than she'd ever seen in a man whose name wasn't Malcolm Reynolds. But he was also controlled and calculating. She was certain now that he had never desired Kaylee as payment, that he had played her as skillfully as she had sought to play him. He'd realized that the crew of Serenity was her weakness, that she cared, and he'd used that against her. It was the very reason she so desperately needed to leave.

There was a killer lying in her bed, of that she had no question, but she had begun to wonder what kind of life had turned him to blood and what had happened to rattle him as completely as he was now. Something had shaken him to the core. This man knew violence, he knew blood and pain and there was no fear of death in him. But there was fear of something else and that teased at her curiosity.

"Riddick?" She settled beside him and reached out to touch his shoulder. Faster than her eyes could follow, his hand clamped down on her wrist and stopped her from touching him. "Riddick, you're hurting me."

Silver eyes blinked and once he recognized her, he let go quickly. He glanced around to get his bearings, tense and ready for an attack. When he spoke, his voice was almost too rough for her to understand. "Three hours already?"

"I'm afraid so." She placed her hand on his arm comfortingly. "Mal's in a particularly foul mood so you might want to watch your back."

"Appreciate the warning." He climbed out of bed and finished dressing. Joints cracked as he stretched and twisted to warm stiff muscles. There was a looseness in his shoulders that hadn't been there before and a new purpose in his steps.

"If you're ever in my corner of the verse again," she called as he headed toward the door.

"I won't be."

He didn't look back, disappearing from her shuttle as though he'd never been there and leaving Inara to forever wonder.

**

It was more than tempting to punch the speculative leer off of Jayne's face as their follically challenged not-quite-enemy emerged from Inara's shuttle. Mal had to admit there was something different about the man's footfalls that made his vision go hazy with red and green. None of that was going to help him be rid of the cargo and get paid for it, so he forced it to the furthest corner of his mind.

"You…Jayne here will give you the tour." He nodded toward Jayne's spread of guns and other weaponry.

"Name's Riddick." Silver eyes met his with an unspoken challenge.

"That may be, don't figure I'll have need for your name."

Kaylee's cheeks were bright red as she came through with an armful of extra ammunition. "Can't y'all play nice 'til this is over? Actin' like a bunch of babies is what you're doin'."

"Don't recall asking for your opinion neither."

"You didn't." Jayne peered down one of the gun barrels before twisting it off so he could clean it out. "Kaylee here just likes to be nosy."

"I know that," Mal ground out between clenched teeth. "Get to work, ju tou." He turned away before his fists decided to do something mighty stupid and headed back to the cockpit to watch Wash land the ship.

"So, Inara, huh?" Jayne prodded. "Bet she was somethin', all that trainin'."

Mal hesitated at the doorway, listening for Riddick's answer. When none came and he couldn't bear Jayne's badgering any longer, he left them to clean the guns and prayed the both of them would end up shooting themselves clean through. Couldn't get a handle on which of them he wanted more dead at the moment but he wouldn't say no to either of them meeting an untimely end.

"Talk to me, Wash." The planet's atmosphere seemed to race toward them at incredible speed as their pilot maneuvered them into a landing trajectory.

"Smooth sailing from here to dirt, Mal. Got good weather and they just waved us the coordinates." Wash kept one eye on the console and the other on the view in front of him.

"Hadlow seem a little iffy to you? Like maybe he's springing a trap for us to walk into."

"Most definitely. Said he had payment ready and waiting." Wash glanced up with a cheerful expression. "Looks like a good day for Jayne, he'll be so happy that he gets to rain violence down upon people as thuggish as he is."

"Good for Jayne," Mal snapped.

"Na de xin qing bu hao."

"Wouldn't you be?"

"You mean if my wife just spent three hours…three hours? I mean, one or two, yeah, but three…never mind." Wash turned back to the console.

"You expectin' to still have a job once you land this ship?"

"Sorry, sir. Yes, sir." There was silence for a few moments before Wash glanced up again. "It was for a noble cause, right? I mean, you could have asked Kaylee…"

"Jian ta de gui! That hundan ain't never touchin' Kaylee long as I have say in the matter." Mal scowled out at the rising planet, forced to hold on to the console as they thundered into the atmosphere.

"But Inara's free game?"

Mal ground his teeth together to keep from shouting. "Inara knows how to handle a man. More likely she weren't in danger."

Wash considered that for a moment. "Wonder why he didn't want money. It's not like he has any of his own."

"That is a mighty good question, Wash, but you might be attributing him more brains than is warranted. Man has escaped from prison, after all. Ain't likely they have any like Inara where he come from."

"Good point. She's really more of the one in a million kind of deal."

"That she is," Mal agreed softly.

They were coming up on what looked to be the nearest major settlement. It had all the characteristics of a bustling outer planet metropolis, surrounded by fields of what Mal hoped were actual food-bearing plants. Bad enough that Badger hadn't given them proper warning about what they'd be walking into, they didn't need any more surprises than they already had. Time to rouse the rabble.

"Comin' up on the landing, people. Don't have to tell you none that we ain't expectin' smooth sailing. Stay on your toes and mind your backs." The hand unit clicked back into place. "Wash, you keep her ready to go at a moment's notice. Chances are we ain't gonna get a moment."

"She'll be waiting, sir."

Mal worked on clearing his mind of any distraction on the way back to the cargo hold. Serenity swayed as they landed and he grabbed hold of the wall to keep himself up. Simon and River were holed up in the kitchen where they weren't out in the open for anyone to see and knew where to hide if they got boarded. He found Jayne and Zoe gearing up in the cargo hold. Kaylee was watching anxiously from the side and the person he least wanted to see in particular was leaning against one of the crates looking too casual for his liking.

"Here's how it'll go down." Mal checked his gun over as he addressed them. "Once we take the crates off, there's a chance they'll make a play for the ship. These folks are vultures; pick clean to the bone anything they can find. Might just want our supplies, might just want our women. Might just be they're in the mood for killin'. Your type of folk, Eyeballs, sure you'll fit right in. Jayne and Zoe will be with me making sure we get paid for our trouble so it'll be left to you to make sure ain't no harm comes to the rest of my crew." He took a menacing step toward Riddick. "I find out you laid a finger on Kaylee, there ain't no words in the verse for what I'll do to you. We clear?"

"Crystal," Riddick said dryly.

"Goes without saying that applies to River and everyone else we leave behind. Odds are they have more firepower than we do, so we need the extra gun. Don't mean I care for you none." Mal sensed Zoe at his side and glanced over. "You got somethin' to add, Zoe?"

She held out Riddick's goggles. "He won't be much use to us if he can't see, sir."

Mal wasn't sure what he hated most, having to deal with scum or having to rely on that scum to watch those he cared for. "As much as it would pain me for you to encounter an unfortunate accident, that would mean exposin' my crew to whatever hero saved me the trouble. You cross me and mine, you won't live to regret it."

"Anything else?" Riddick took the goggles from Zoe and slipped them over his head.

"Yeah. Point the thing that shoots bullets toward the bad guys and try to hit a few of 'em, would you?"

"This end?" Riddick held up the gun and nodded toward the open end of the barrel.

"That the one. Zoe, let's get this started."

The big doors of Serenity opened with a clang and a groan, pouring sunlight into space that had seen only the black for too long. Mal led the way through the crates, his boots sending vibrations down the ramp with each step. No sooner had he reached the bottom than they were met by two odd looking hovercrafts and a smaller passenger transport craft. He waited at the end of the ramp with Zoe and Jayne at his side until four men climbed out of the smaller craft and started toward them. Armed from the look of them, more than one piece of hardware each, and solid clothes built for hiding knives.

"Captain Reynolds." The man in front was medium height and build with no distinguishing characteristics other than a nose that had been broken at least once. "Happy to see that you found your way to our humble world."

"Voyage weren't bad," Mal answered cautiously, eyeing the other two crafts suspiciously.

"They're for the crates. Those things can be tricky on the ground. Don't worry, my men will take care of hauling them."

Mal couldn't see a way to turn them away even though it meant they were more outnumbered than he'd anticipated. The crates were too heavy for a man to move on his own and there didn't seem to be more than a handful of men on each craft. Numbers weren't in their favor but they weren't under fire yet. If Kaylee'd done her job, they wouldn't notice the cracks in the crate and the sewn up packages had been hidden deep inside.

"Sir?" Zoe watched them unreel thick cable from the hovercrafts.

"Don't worry," the man assured them. "Crates are made to hook in and drag out. Might scrape up the floor of your ship, sorry about that."

"Plenty of scrapes already there, a few more don't matter none." Mal waved his crew to the side of the ramp to wait.

It went three crates per craft; one at a time strung up with the cables on two sides and dragged slowly out of Serenity's belly. Metal shrieked and howled as each one bumped down the ramp, then only the sound of wind as they were hauled up to dock into the craft. It was a perfect fit. They held their breath as the damaged crate slid along the floor and tumbled out onto the ramp. Still holding as it teetered through the air and finally locked into place.

He tried not to be too obvious in exhaling and smiled tightly at their welcoming party. "You got yours, how's about we talk payment."

The man smiled, tipping his head to listen to one of his henchmen before turning back to Mal. "Got your payment all set but it ain't with us."

"See, that don't make me too comfortable dealing with you." Mal stepped back to the end of the ramp, protective of his ship and the suddenly exposed inside.

"So suspicious, Captain Reynolds. We're merely offering hospitality in an inhospitable world. Might make a man wonder if you'd be trying to pull a fast one." He took a moment to size up the three of them. "Come with us, collect your payment and take whatever you need to continue on your journey; water, fresh food. Finding transport willing to come here ain't commonplace."

"We ain't lookin' to burn you, just want our payment and to go on our way." Mal was getting increasingly nervous at the man's desire to get them away from the ship.

"I have my orders. I'm to bring you back. If you refuse to come with us then I'm afraid you won't get paid." The man shrugged. "Your choice, Captain."

"Sir?" Zoe shifted closer to him.

Mal spared her a glance and nodded. "Right then, we'll take your hospitality but make no mistake, we will be paid."

"Mal? You sure that's a good idea?" Jayne hissed.

Mal looked back into the cargo hold at the man standing inside, head shaved and goggles down over eyes he would never trust. He took a deep breath and motioned for Zoe and Jayne to follow. "Let's just hope Inara's worth her weight in bullets."

They climbed into the rear compartment of the smaller transport vehicle and buckled in for the ride. Fields and buildings sped by through plastic darkened by red dust, barely ghosts in the mud of civilization. He could see the hovercraft up ahead and watched as they cut away while the transport ship kept on a straight path. Trees crowded the view but eventually opened up to reveal a rambling style ranch with fruit trees in flower.

The transport came to rest and they climbed out, brushing off the dust that had risen during the landing and covertly looking around for new guns. Their welcoming committee led the way into the house; cool, processed air hitting their faces as they stepped through the door.

"Malcolm Reynolds." This man was distinguished, stood out in a crowd with sandy hair cut short and broad shoulders framed by a fancy suit

"Don't believe I know you," Mal responded carefully.

"Raif Hadlow. Sort of governor in these parts. I can't tell you how grateful I am that you agreed to transport my merchandise." Hadlow held out his hand and waited for a beat until it became apparent that Mal wasn't going to shake. He smiled again and waved them into a large dining area.

"Bit of overkill, you welcomin' us like this. Not that we ain't appreciative but we're a mite unaccustomed to such finery." Mal looked around uneasily.

"I'm trying to win you over. Does the idea of steady work appeal to you?" Hadlow motioned for them to sit. "One shipment every month, a personal account on Persephone you can draw on from anywhere in the system. I make no requirement on any other jobs you take so other than my one shipment, you'd be free to do as you please."

"Sounds mighty temptin' but temptation usually come with entanglements."

"You're a smart man, Captain Reynolds. There is one small catch."

"Mind tellin' us what that is?"

Hadlow motioned to one of his men, who produced bottles of liquor and several bowls of fresh fruit. "The catch is that I'm not asking."

Mal felt the hair on his neck stand on end and noticed that they'd been joined by several more armed men who weren't looking friendly. "I decide what my ship transports and for who."

"I respect that and again, I'm only asking for one shipment a month."

"No how, no way."

"Are you turning down an offer for steady work?" Hadlow cocked his head to the side and took a sip of his drink. "Life out here can be mighty tough on smugglers like yourself. Serenity's a good ship, you've taken care of her."

"Won't be handing her over any time soon if that's how you're lookin' to take this conversation."

"Captain Reynolds," Hadlow began pleasantly. "As soon as you left, my men fired a concussion grenade into the cargo hold of your ship, took care of that hired gun of yours. He wasn't on your crew manifest and my man seemed to think that an indication that you're aware of the contents of those crates." He didn't notice Mal twitch and continued with the smug assurance of someone who was always in control. "They have taken control of Serenity so she's my ship now. Look around, I have you surrounded and there are ten more for each one of these men. You will transport my cargo as I ask and in return you will be allowed to keep your ship and you will be handsomely paid for it. I fail to see how this is anything but a good deal for you."

Mal ground his teeth furiously. They'd known it was a trap and still walked into it blind. He looked to Zoe and Jayne, seeing the same frustration echoed in their faces. All that was left to do was bide their time and hope for moment enough to break free and fight their way back to the ship.


	6. Peas In A Pod

The blast slammed Kaylee against the railing of the stairs with enough force to knock the breath right out of her. She crumbled back onto the floor stunned and terrified, unable to move her limbs or force any words out of her mouth. Gasping like a fish, she could see Riddick lying across the room. He'd been closest to the grenade and she could see a dent where he'd hit the wall. Her fingers scrabbled for some sort of handhold to pull herself along the floor until she saw boots and gun barrels.

"Look what we have here." A disembodied voice floated down. "Well, ain't she just the sweetest thing."

She cringed, trying to count boots and divide by two. There were too many of them and they kept blurring together, the pain in her back making it hard to keep track of her numbers. In the background, she could hear Inara protesting being dragged from her shuttle and Simon demanding to be with River. She wanted to cry but couldn't get the air before she was dragged across the floor.

"Kaylee! Kaylee, are you all right?" Simon tried to get closer to her as the men tied them together.

"Simon?" The ship was spinning around her head and she lolled against Inara, unable to sit up straight on her own. "Where's the Cap'n?"

"Inara, are her pupils dilated?" Simon asked.

"I can't tell. Kaylee, open your eyes sweetie."

"Everything's…blurry. 'Nara, is the Cap'n back yet?" She breathed in the scent of Inara's perfume and smiled, "cherry blossoms." To the other side was Riddick, the large man's head bowed and chin resting against his chest. Their captors were watching him closely, most of their guns pointed toward him should he wake.

"She could have a concussion." Simon sounded far away and tiny. "Can you tell if she hit her head?"

"Thinks I'm meili, Simon. Why don't you?" Kaylee tried to lift her head from Inara's shoulder, shooting pain in her back bringing tears to her eyes. It faded to a throbbing between her shoulder blades and then she noticed she couldn't move her toes. "Simon? Can't feel my legs. Can't feel nothin' no more. What's wrong with me, Simon?"

"She must have hit her spine, compressed the spinal cord. She needs medical attention right away. I'm a doctor."

Kaylee grimaced when she heard Simon get hit with something; sweat was dripping down her face and stinging her eyes even though she was cold as the black itself. Good news was that she seemed to have stopped falling.

"She won't be any use to you if she's paralyzed," Inara pleaded with the men around them. "She's the only mechanic in the verse who can keep this ship in the air, I suggest you let Simon tend to her."

They seemed to think on that and then Kaylee was moving again, settling on the floor and looking up. Voices were starting to tangle in the air like vines growing together.

"Hold still, Kaylee. I'm going to check your spine." Simon bent over her with concern.

"Simon," she whispered. "Where's the Cap'n?"

"He's coming. Just stay with me."

She closed her eyes as Simon felt along her neck and shoulders, rolling her to her side and sliding his hands under her shirt. World was too blurry for her to enjoy it and she wished it were under different circumstances. She knew something had gone wrong, job had gone south, and there was trouble. Trouble meant the Captain would be needing her to talk to Serenity so she lay still and waited for Simon to finish.

"I can't feel any broken vertebrae, it could be a fracture. Can you feel anything at all in your arms and legs?"

"Kinda tinglin'."

"That's a good sign. If there's no damage to the spinal cord, feeling should return on its own. She needs to be kept lying down. Any more movement and she could be paralyzed." Simon's hands were gone and she was back staring at the ceiling.

"You, back with the others." One of the armed men pulled Simon away and bound his hands behind his back like the others.

Kaylee watched, unable to do anything but blink as they assembled the rest of the crew and bound them. The bad guys were talking quietly as they rifled through the supply crates, a few casting lecherous glances toward Inara. She strained to hear what they were saying but only caught pieces of the conversation. Wash was the last person to join the crew, dragged down the stairs unconscious and bleeding from a cut on the back of his head.

The men thinned out as they spread through the ship and she could hear the squawking of their communicators. Waiting for a signal. Perhaps waiting for the Captain to return so they could tie him up too. Him and Zoe and Jayne. She kept miserably still, praying she could move her fingers if she tried really hard.

"Simon!" River sounded frightened and pulled away from the men prodding her with their boots.

"Leave her alone!" Simon struggled against his bindings, trying to protect her but only succeeding in rousing the laughter of the men and getting another boot tread to the face.

"Prefer the dark haired one myself. S'posed to be one of those fancy Companions," one of the men leered. "That one's too scrawy."

"Nah, I like 'em scrawny. And young." That one had dark, curly hair that looked like it hadn't been washed since the day he was born.

The two began to laugh and discuss details in particular they liked about Inara and River. Curly liked River's long legs and round lips while the one who looked like a rodent liked Inara's curves. The rat faced one caught a lock of Inara's hair and breathed the scent deep into his lungs. Turned Kaylee's stomach so she looked away. Her eyes widened as she saw movement beside her head. A curved blade was working its way through the cords binding Riddick's hands, his head still bowed and eyes closed. She blinked away sweat and salt, watching with her breath held as Riddick finished cutting and repositioned the blade in his hand.

"Don't touch her!" Simon was on the floor with one of the men's boots against his throat, blood on his lips and nose but still trying to stop Curly from sliding his hand along River's leg.

"Shouldn't do that. Making crocodile very angry." River told the man, her expression turning dark and ominous.

"Who's gonna stop me, sugar?" Curly laughed, crouching down to lean in close to her. "You're just a little thing."

There was a blur of movement and Kaylee winced, half afraid she was going to be stepped on by one of the pairs of boots. Snarling furiously, Riddick caught Rat Face and snapped his neck with a brutal twist. Curly barely had time to scramble to his feet before the blade sliced clean through his throat. The man holding Simon to the floor scrabbled for his gun as Riddick's hand wrapped around his throat, lifted him up off the floor, and hurled him against the wall with a crunch.

He crouched down and sliced through the ropes binding River's wrists, her small hands taking the blade as he handed it to her. Staying low, he pulled the gun and another knife from Curly's belt. River began cutting through Simon's restraints.

"Riddick!" Inara shouted a warning as two men appeared at the top of the ramp to investigate the noise.

The men dropped with a single bullet to each of them, Riddick's footsteps echoing as he hurried to the control and hit the button to close the cargo hold. Without a pause in his steps, he grabbed another of the dead man's guns and headed back toward for the stairs. Kaylee saw movement high above her on the catwalk but before she could speak, she saw Riddick raise the guns to each side and fire without a hitch in his step or a look to where he was aiming. More bodies fell from both of the catwalks, dead as can be. He was up the stairs like a panther, disappearing into the corridor with only the sound of gunfire trailing behind him.

"Kaylee, stay still!" Simon coughed, blood dripping down his chin.

"Simon, did you see that? Did you see?"

River smiled down at her as she worked to cut through the rope around Book's wrists. "Crocodile fell off the same cherry tree into the orchard grass."

Book took the blade from her hands as soon as he could and began working on freeing Inara. "We should get everyone to a safer location."

"My shuttle. There aren't any of them in there and it will be more comfortable for Kaylee. Can we risk moving her, Simon?"

"Kaylee? How are you feeling?"

"I can move a little in my toes and fingers, ain't sure I can walk about though." Kaylee moaned at the pain in her back.

"Help me find something we can set her on to carry her, something that will keep her flat." Simon winced instinctively at the sound of gunfire even though it was far away from them.

"Would a blanket work?"

"It might. If we each took an corner." He wiped the blood away from his lips as soon as his hands were free. "We should get her to the infirmary, strap her into the chair so she's stable."

"Good idea, I'll get a blanket we can use." Inara hurried away.

Kaylee smiled and tried to laugh even though it felt like nails pounding through her ribcage. "River ain't the only can do that, Simon. That means somethin', right? Means ain't nothing wrong with her, don't it?"

"Hush, try not to talk." Simon stroked her hair lightly.

"Just special training, could be the Alliance taught her how. But don't mean she's an assassin." She looked between the anxious faces hovering over her. "Could ask him where he learned it, might be he could tell us something useful."

"Later, Kaylee. We'll discuss this later." Book moved away to drag bodies toward the sides of the cargo bay where they wouldn't be stumbling blocks.

Inara returned with a heavy blanket and unfolded it on the floor. On the count of three, all four of them lifted her up onto the blanket and took a corner. It was agony to be moving at all but she kept her lips shut tight and didn't cry even when they lifted her onto the chair in the infirmary.

"I'm going to strap you in, Kaylee, and give you something for the pain." Simon looped the restraints over her and reached for a syringe.

"Wash! What about Wash?" Kaylee winced at the needle prick.

"He also needs your attention, doctor," Book said as he and Inara half carried and half dragged an unconscious Wash into the room.

"Put him on the side bed," Simon directed. He checked Kaylee's eyes one more time with a flashlight before moving to take care of Wash.

"Hold on to something," River warned, looking up at the ceiling. "Serenity's tired of standing, needs to see the sky again."

The room tilted to the right and Kaylee could here Serenity's engines fire up outside the ship. Medical supplies rattled in the cupboards and her stomach flip-flopped as the landing gear left the ground, lifting into the air.

"River?" Simon held on tightly to the wall. "Who's flying the ship?"

**

"Sure was a grand idea you had, Mal," Jayne grunted as he ducked down after laying another spray of bullets over their enemies' heads. "Takin' on an army…jing chai. Got anymore of those ideas?"

"More bullets, less talking, Jayne." Mal spun up and took down another of the hired guns. "These men ain't exactly provin' themselves worthy of jio weh sung chiuh. You noticed we're winning, right? "

"Strange idea of winnin' you got there."

"We ain't dead yet." He cringed as a bullet whizzed over his head and shouted into his comlink. "Wash? Anyone? I'd take anyone at this point."

"They got the ship, sir," Zoe reminded him, ducking low to reload her shotgun. "Ain't nobody there to answer who's friendly to us."

"Least they could trade witty banter."

"You'd like that, sir?"

"I'd like for them to realize we got a battle on our hands here and for them to come join the party. Brings the ship to us. All part of my brilliant plan." He grinned and raised his arm up over what was left of the wall they were using for cover and fired into the fray. All at once the bullets stopped; they heard shouting and the sound of footsteps headed away from them. Mal fired a few more rounds just because and peered over the wall to see the rest of the men running away. He eased up to his feet cautiously before looking down at Jayne and raising his eyebrows with a grin. "I do believe you owe my brilliant plan an apology."

"Sir?" Zoe nudged him with her elbow and pointed to the sky behind them. Serenity was bearing down them almost low enough to skim the tops of the trees, swinging over them with a roar and sliding into a hover above the field. "That ain't my Mister flying."

"You can tell?" Jayne started reloading again.

"Conjured it wouldn't be. Just watch who you're shooting, our own people are still on board that ship." Mal started toward Serenity, steel in his hand and his eyes. He weren't about to let some flower peddling lowlifes steal his ship and lay a hand on his crew. "Be ready for it, they'll come out guns a blazing."

They were a picture of defiance, three of them standing beneath the ship with guns in hand as she landed and the cargo door lowered. Book was standing at the control, a tuft of gray hair come undone from its binding. He waved them in and got back to dragging bodies across the cargo bay floor to dump them over the edge. Mal gave a low whistle as he surveyed the carnage.

"Guess we were wrong. Maybe Wash's havin' an off day." He shrugged but Zoe didn't seem to be convinced, her eyes still narrowed suspiciously.

"There are more bodies if you head toward the bridge," Book told them as he reached the edge.

"Guess 'Nara was worth it," Jayne snorted.

"Bu zui. Eyeballs do all this, Shepherd?" Mal was half hoping that Book would tell him someone other than Riddick had at least helped.

"That he did." Book looked toward the infirmary with a pensive look. "Kaylee was injured but Simon is looking after her and-"

"Shiny. Jayne, Zoe, there has to be somethin' worth stealin' left in that house. What do you say we get paid?" Mal grinned as he started back down the ramp. Zoe hesitated for a moment before following after him. "Show some hustle, they'll be back 'fore long and they'll bring more guns."

It didn't take long searching through the bullet-ridden ranch house to find plenty worth taking in payment, including cash money and some supplies would come in handy in the black. Once the bodies were dumped, Book joined the line hauling valuables through the field into the safety of Serenity. Mal took stock as they returned with the last load of valuables, making sure everything was stowed away and glancing in to make sure Kaylee was still breathing.

"Simon says she'll make a full recovery," Inara said as she stepped forward.

"Good. We'll be needin' her before long." Mal stared at his feet for a bit before motioning to the empty hold. "Guess I should be thankin' you. Doin' what you did. I know it ain't somethin' you'd normally have to face."

"It is what I do, Mal."

"But you did it for Serenity and I appreciate that." Inara didn't smile, averting her eyes as she walked past him and up the stairs to her shuttle. He saw Book watching him and shrugged. "Think it was something I said, Shepherd?"

"Possibly something you didn't say," Book responded, moving to his side and gazing up at her shuttle. "It was your idea to put her in that situation, knowing full well the kind of man she was dealing with. You had to have considered that he might ask for her as payment."

"I was s'posed to give him Kaylee, that it?"

"Usually the man stands between the woman and the dragon, not the other way around." Book gave him a somber look before walking away.

"He's a dragon now? First a crocodile, now a dragon. Can't he just be a gorram man for a change?" Mal muttered under his breath as he stomped up the stairs and headed for the cockpit. As he stepped past the kitchen, he felt Serenity pitch and sway, lifting off the ground. "Wash! What the gorram hell are you doing?" He jumped out of the way as Zoe stormed out of the cockpit. "Zoe?"

"I'll be in the infirmary, sir."

"Zoe?" He didn't get any answer and turned back to the bridge. "Wash? You and the missus havin' an argument? That what's making you fly all…" The words stuck in his throat as he stepped into the cockpit and saw who was flying the ship. "Tama de!"

"Might want to hold on to something," Riddick said over his shoulder.

"Thought you said you ain't got no skills past killin' people!" Mal grabbed onto the console as they leveled out and started across the terrain.

"I said…I'm a fast learner."


	7. Beginning's End

"It's a little bit romantic, ain't it?" Kaylee was straining to watch the quiet farewell at the far end of the cargo hold. Inara's voice was too soft to be heard and Riddick, as usual, didn't seem to be saying much of anything.

"I'm not sure romantic is applicable." Simon helped ease her onto one of the crates. "You still need to be careful, Kaylee. Don't wear yourself out."

"Oh, I'm fine, Simon. No need to be fussin'." She blushed under his attentions, trying to get more comfortable on the crude seat. It had been near to a day before he'd let her out of the infirmary to move about.

"Don't see why she's wantin' to say goodbye anyhow," Jayne muttered from beneath the weight bar. "Ain't like three hours is somethin' out of the ordinary. There were this one doxy back on Persephone, red hair and a pair of-"

"I doubt that's why she wanted to say goodbye." Book interrupted, watching the exchange almost as carefully as Kaylee.

River tipped her head to the side as she watched. "Not what you think, the words aren't important."

"See? That's romantic, ain't it?" Kaylee grinned.

"Can't wait to be rid of us. Hates the sun and the noise." River drifted closer until Simon put a hand on her arm to stop her. "He's afraid."

Jayne snorted as he settled the weight bar and sat up. "Of Inara? Or of you peerin' into his brain all sorts?"

"Of us. Of Serenity." River had an enigmatic smile on her lips.

"That ain't can be right. Man killed near a dozen of those sons of whores. Ain't no way he'd be 'fraid of anyone on this boat. Exceptin' me, duhn ruhn."

Further conversation was halted by Riddick abruptly turning down the ramp, his broad shoulders swallowed up in the bright light of Santo. They'd landed a day's hard walk from to the nearest settlement to let off their reluctant passenger. It was a mixed bag of emotions watching him disappear and Serenity close up to head back to the black.

Inara's eyebrows rose as she approached them. "Did you manage to hear any of that?"

"Not a gorram word," Kaylee sighed with disappointment.

"It wasn't anything exciting. A few bits of advice for getting around in this verse."

"Man can fly a ship and kill someone proper, what else you conjure he needs?" Jayne looked puzzled.

"Inara? About what you did." Kaylee turned red with embarrassment and dropped her gaze to her lap.

"It's all right, Kaylee," Inara soothed quickly. "There's no way I would have let him touch you."

"I woulda done it. Even though he scared me somethin' awful."

"Kaylee?" Simon looked as shocked as the rest of them.

"What? I ain't s'pose to feel bad she did it on account of me?"

"Kaylee." Inara reached out to touch her face gently. "Nothing happened. He just wanted a safe place to sleep, that's all."

"Sleep? That's feihua. No way a man'd waste three hours in your shuttle sleepin'." Shaking his head with disbelief, Jayne lay back down and picked up the hand weights.

"You gotta tell the Cap'n. He plays like it don't but it's been eatin' him up somethin' fierce." Kaylee winced when she tried to move, fresh pain radiating through her back. "Shoulda seen him while you were in there. Near came to rescue you more'n a few times."

"How noble of him," Inara said tightly and started up stairs to return to her shuttle.

"Gotta be sly," Jayne huffed as he lifted the weights.

"Said I was beautiful. That ain't sly." Kaylee pulled a face when he scowled at her.

"Ain't the point. He'd be some sorta buhn dahn not to get sexed with Inara. Man ain't right in the head says no to that."

"Man ain't right," River echoed, her smile widening as she spun slow circles out into the now empty cargo hold. "He's some kind of crazy."


End file.
